Bratislava, Slovakia academic writing guide

Example Paper 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birth Control Pills:  

A Safe Choice for Womem 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gabriela Zurikova 

[e-mail] 

IEP 060 – Academic Writing Skills 

Anne Whitaker 

Research Paper 

August 30, 2004 

Birth Control Pills     22 

 

Janka (24) bought a pregnancy test and now is waiting for the results, which makes 

her nervous. One second may change her whole life, and she could become the mother of an 

unwanted child. To avoid this stressful situation, it was only necessary to have used a 43-

year-old method of birth control – the birth control pill – once a day. It has been taken by 

approximately 80% of American women today (Okie, 2002), and its effectiveness is over 

99% if used correctly (Planned Parenthood, 2003). However, some women still fear that 

taking the birth control pill could harm their health. In fact, the pill’s composition provides 

advantages to women, including prevention of ovarian cancer. There is also no connection 

between the pill and breast cancer, and its usage is possible while breastfeeding too. Although 

there are a few disadvantages to its use, the birth control pill is safe for women. 

Birth control pills contain nothing harmful to women’s health. This oral contraception 

is divided into two groups. First are combination pills including estrogen and progestin 

(synthetic progesterone), and second are progestin-only-pills. Women’s ovaries produce both 

estrogen and progesterone (Planned Parenthood, 2003). The pill thus contains the same 

hormones that women’s bodies already have. According to the National Cancer Institute 

(2003), estrogen is a hormone which makes the uterus more active when a women’s body 

becomes sexually mature. It also makes the endometrium (the uterus walls) thicker at the 

beginning of the menstrual cycle. Then, the endometrium is ready to accept a fertilized egg 

with the help of progesterone, which is made in the second part of the menstrual cycle. The 

pill, however, gives women the right amount of these hormones so that they cannot get 

pregnant. Planned Parenthood (2003) explained that estrogen in combination pills stops the 

ovaries from producing eggs, while progestin-only pills “thicken cervical mucus” to stop the 

fertilization of eggs (Basics section, para. 2). These supplemental hormones “fool the body 

into acting as if it's pregnant” (Alice! Health Promotion Program, 1998). They do not damage 

the body; they just make it act in a different way. So, the contents of this oral contraceptive 

Birth Control Pills     23 

 

may be seen as safe. 

Another point is that taking the birth control pill has benefits for females’ health. Not 

just young 18-year-old girls, but also 30-year-old women use the pill to avoid unwanted 

pregnancies. In addition, the pill can improve the condition of their skin. As Dr. Marjorie 

Greenfield (2004a), an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, reported, 

compared with non-pill users, users of the birth control pill have fewer problems with acne 

and “excess” hair on the face and body. She even pointed out that pill users are less likely to 

have ovarian cysts and anemia. So the hormones in the pill provide a variety of benefits 

beyond contraception. Moreover, women often have painful menstruation at the beginning of 

their cycles, and the birth control pill can be a solution. Planned Parenthood (2003) noted that 

women have lighter menstruations and do not suffer from such terrible stomach cramps when 

they use the pill. That means that the pill helps girls and women enjoy their lives, go out with 

friends, or exercise instead of staying in bed because of pain. In summary, these examples 

show that the birth control pill can have a beneficial influence on women’s health and lives.  

Despite these advantages of using the contraceptive pill, there is a myth that its use 

causes ovarian cancer. However, research shows that the deaths of females from this cancer 

are not connected with the birth control pill at all; on the contrary, the pill is successful in 

fighting against it. The effect of the birth control pill on the ovary is interesting. Scientists 

from the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center found that progestin from the pill led to 

“increased cell turnover in the ovarian epithelium, indicating that progestin might lower 

ovarian cancer risk by activating cancer-preventative molecular pathways in the ovary” (as 

cited in “Oral contraceptives,” 2002). With higher cell turnover in the ovary, cells that may 

become cancerous are destroyed earlier and faster, due to the effects of progestin from the 

birth control pill. In fact, another study at Duke showed that women who took a pill with 

more progestin had a lower risk of ovarian cancer than women who took a pill with more 

Birth Control Pills     24 

 

estrogen; however, all women who took any birth control pill had a lower risk of ovarian 

cancer than other women (as cited in “Oral contraceptives,” 2002). So the pill, especially the 

progestine-only one, has been effective in fighting against ovarian cancer. According to Dr. 

Greenfield (2004a), the effectiveness of the pill is so great that some doctors now advise 

women to take the pill for five years just because of its benefits in preventing ovarian cancer. 

From this, it seems that the birth control pill neither increases the danger of cancer of the 

ovaries nor damages their functioning, so the myth should be forgotten. In actuality, the 

longer women use this form of birth control, the bigger the protection against ovarian cancer 

they have. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Harvard Medical School 

studies found that women who used the pill for one year had a 10-12% less chance of getting 

ovarian cancer, while women decrease the risk of getting the cancer by 50% if they use the 

pill for no less than five years. This protection lasts even after women stop using the pill (as 

cited in National Cancer Institute, 2003). Thus, continued use of the pill is not a bad decision 

because it can help to prevent cancer for a long time in the future. So, especially women 

whose mothers or grandmothers had ovarian cancer are protecting themselves in the right 

way by taking the birth control pill. 

Another claim is that the birth control pill may cause breast cancer, which is a 

blunder. The truth is that not only 20- to 30-year-old women, but also women in their 40s, 

50s and 60s do not have a higher chance of getting breast cancer just because they used oral 

contraceptives. This was shown by a study in The New England Journal of Medicine called 

the Women's Contraceptive and Reproductive Experience study. Of 9,200 women between 

35 and 64, half of whom had had a breast cancer diagnosis, women who had used the pill did 

not have increased breast cancer risk (as cited in National Cancer Institute, 2003). So, 

especially older women, who are at greater risk of getting breast cancer because of their age, 

do not have to be afraid that taking the pill could lead to breast cancer. There is also another 

Birth Control Pills     25 

 

significant fact about women with a history of breast cancer in their families. The same 

Women’s Contraceptive and Reproductive Experience study showed that women with breast 

cancer in their families did not have a higher risk of cancer if they took the pill (as cited in 

Okie, 2002). So, women who had breast cancer in the past are free to use the pill as well as 

healthy women. They could also use the pill for two, five, or ten years without worrying 

because, as Okie (2002) pointed out, the study indicated no higher risk of breast cancer due to 

time of usage, or even race or weight. Almost all women can safely use the pill for weeks, 

months or years. In conclusion, there is no clear connection between breast cancer and using 

the birth control pill. 

It is also remarkable that it is possible to use the pill during lactation. Women 

breastfeeding their infants also need to use birth control to avoid pregnancies, and hormonal 

oral contraceptives, especially the progestin-only-pill, are one of the safe options. According 

to the web site of well-known pediatrician Dr. William Sears (n.d.), in comparison with the 

combination pill, the progestin-only pill is better to use because it does not contain estrogen, 

which could reduce the amount of mother’s milk. But his most important point is that the pill 

does not affect the child’s health at all. This means that women do not have to stop either 

taking the pill or breastfeeding their babies. Furthermore, the combination oral contraceptive 

is also approved for use by breastfeeding women. Dr. Greenfield (2004b) confirmed that the 

combination pill may be used when the milk is well produced, which is six months after birth. 

When the mother’s body is accustomed to breastfeeding, therefore, it is possible and safe to 

use both kinds of oral contraceptive without worrying about the baby or mother’s health. In 

short, the birth control pill could be used during lactation with no danger to the child. 

Although the use of oral contraception has all these benefits, there are also a few 

disadvantages. For instance, Planned Parenthood (2003) reported that women taking the pill 

for the first time may have terrible headaches and feel sick. They may experience bleeding 

Birth Control Pills     26 

 

during the month as well. These are typical side effects of oral contraceptives, but they 

usually disappear in three months. It seems that the additional progestin and estrogen cause 

those changes, but as women’s bodies adjust, the bad effects soon vanish. Plus, if the effects 

do not disappear, a doctor can help women to choose another kind of birth control pill. 

However, Okie (2002) named one group in danger while taking birth control pills: smokers 

over 35. This combination is risky because these women have a higher risk of heart attacks. 

Here it is important to note that smoking is the bad habit which endangers women, not the 

pill. In general, oral contraceptives benefit women's health and well-being much more than 

they hurt. 

Using the birth control pill is a safe solution to avoiding unwanted pregnancies. It 

contains hormones which do not confuse the systems of women’s bodies and bring health 

benefits into their lives. The pill has been successful in the prevention of ovarian cancer; 

moreover, there is little danger connected with breast cancer. Taking the birth control pill is 

also safe for women breastfeeding their babies. On the other hand, there could be a few minor 

negative side effects and there are risk groups who should be careful. Oral contraceptives 

overall, though, should not be seen as a symbol of jeopardy, but a symbol of women’s choice. 

 

Birth Control Pills     27 

 

References 

 

Alice! Health Promotion Program. (1998, July 14). How do birth control pills work? 

Retrieved August 20, 2004, from Health Services at Columbia University Web site: 

http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0663.html 

Greenfield, M. (2004a, August 18). Myths and truths about birth control pills. Retrieved 

August 20, 2004, from Dr. Spock Web site: http://www.drspock.com/article 

/0,1510,5324,00.html 

Greenfield, M. (2004b, August 19). Postpartum birth control options. Retrieved August 20, 

2004, from Dr. Spock Web site: http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,5696,00.html 

National Cancer Institute. (2003, November 3). Cancer facts: Oral contraceptives and cancer 

risk [fact sheet].  Retrieved August 15, 2004, from http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact 

/3_13.htm 

Okie, S. (2002, June 27). Study: Birth control pills not linked to breast cancer. The 

Washington Post, p. A1. Retrieved from National Newspapers database. 

Oral contraceptives with higher levels of progestin protect against ovarian cancer, study 

suggests. (2002, January 2). Science Daily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily 

.com/releases/2002/01/020102074449.htm  

Planned Parenthood. (2003, November). You and the pill. Retrieved August 15, 2004, from 

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/bc/YOU_AND_PILL.HTM  

Sears, W. (n.d.). Oral contraceptives while breastfeeding. Retrieved August 15, 2004, from 

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T028700.asp

 

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