A nightmare of pain and disability for a healthy young woman.

This letter, originally published in the John R. Lee, M.D. Medical Letter, is from an articulate young woman we'll call Julie B. whose life fell apart after she received a series of Depo-Provera shots for birth control. Until she went to an astute chiropractor, she had no idea that the Depo-Provera was causing her symptoms, and neither did the many doctors she went to, in spite of the fact that backache and skin rash are known side effects. The supposed ease and convenience of this drug as a means of birth control seems to be particularly appealing to young women who want quick, easy solutions. They assume it is safe because their doctors will prescribe it. We suspect that many thousands of young women are suffering this way, and hope that Julie’s letter will be a wake-up call to both young women and their parents, to stay far away from this terrible drug.
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The consumer group Public Citizen has petitioned the FDA to ban oral contraceptives that contain the synthetic hormone desogestrel.
Studies suggest that these birth control pills nearly double the risk of potentially fatal blood clots compared with other such pills, without providing improved protection against pregnancy.
Approximately 7.5 million prescriptions for desogestrel-containing oral contraceptives were filled in the United States in 2006.
Pills containing desogestrel may cause 30 cases of blood clots for every 100,000 users a year; other birth control pills only cause 15 cases per 100,000 users. At 7.5 million prescriptions, that means over 1,000 women are unnecessarily being placed at risk each year.
Manufacturers of desogestrel-containing pills have stated that the increased risk of blood clots is listed on the label. However, this warning is in "barely perceptible 4-point type," according to Public Citizen.
Public Citizen February 6, 2007
USA Today February 6, 2007
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This interesting guide lists a number of birth control techniques that can be used instead of pills or patches. The article recommends practicing two or more natural birth control methods at the same time, and lists such methods as:
Withdrawal: The man withdraws his penis from the woman's vagina before he ejaculates. This doesn't always work; even before ejaculation, the penis releases small amounts of semen that can contain sperm, so this is only 60 to 80 percent successful at preventing pregnancy.
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