Early exposure to contraceptives has negative health implications

While family planning is a major tool for social and economic development, there should be a broad sense of some family planning control measures like the use of contraceptives.My focus is on the usage of pills and their hormonal dependence. They contain hormones that may add or interrupt usual hormonal imbalance in our health system.Some contraceptives exist in form of pills or liquid form. They contain either estrogen or progesterone or sometimes both hormones present in one form. These hormones play a vital reproductive role in the human life. An imbalance in one of the hormones might lead to serious bodily diseases and sometimes death.As a person grows, there is variance in concentration of these hormones. People at puberty stage have different hormonal contents to those at pregnancy, lactation or menopause.For menopause, people do not usually need contraceptives though it could have been the right age to use them. At pregnancy or lactation, users of the contraceptives should always keep in touch with specialized health experts to check their hormonal contents in blood before their adopted usage of their contraceptives.For adolescents where the body is already trying to cope with a surge of hormones, the addition of extra hormones may lead to long term health complications.Before a teenager thinks of starting on hormone contraceptives, she should be aware of the risks so that she can make a well informed decision about it. In any case she should talk to the doctor or the school nurse before even contemplating usage of hormonal contraceptives. Hormonal contraceptives might be convenient and effective in preventing pregnancy but can give a false sense of security.This is why in cases where self-abstinence has failed, then usage of condom should be the next best alternative. This is the safest means of contraception as it additionally checks risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, syphilis and gonorrhea.In some studies, there is an evidence-based report that link early usage of contraceptives to breast cancer. Therefore when a girl takes these hormones early in life, there is a greater risk of developing breast cancer at a later stage in life. This all goes with hormonal imbalance in the body system that produces mutations or toxic genes in the body system.Prolonged use of hormonal contraceptives at an early age has also been linked to infertility. In some study done to over 300 teens that used contraceptives before age of 20-years, 75 percent developed infertility or did not have children when they got married. This comes as a result of suppressing artificial ovulation for a long time. Ovarian function may not be able to restore completely when contraceptives are withdrawn. Ovary is part of female reproductive system where fertilization of the ovum takes place. It’s malfunction or decreased function leads to infertility because fertilization is never complete.Hormonal contraceptives may cause weight gain. As a teenager or young girl, this can have a significant impact on herself image, confidence and social interaction. There is also an increased risk of developing cervical cancer after prolonged use of the hormonal contraceptives. Again, hormonal imbalance influences some toxic gene mutations that cause or develops into cancer cells.Teens with a history of liver disease and migraines may aggravate their conditions further with the use of hormone contraceptives.Chances of blood clots especially deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are also increased. Mood changes, irritability, depression, nausea, headache, painful breasts and spotting are some of the side effects which may occur. Depletion of certain vitamins from the body such as vitamin B6 and folic acid is also a possibility and while these micronutrients are necessary for all age groups, they are of particular importance to the developing body of a teenager.There is also the danger of weakening bones due to calcium loss if hormone contraceptives are used for a long time. This is common especially if injectable forms of hormonal contraceptives are used for a long time. This information is of special significance in teenagers whose bones are still growing. Bones may become brittle and fracture easily. With some types of contraceptives especially those containing progesterone only such as implants, the periods can become irregular, scanty and stop altogether.This is why parents need to discuss sexual issues with their youngsters. Some Teenagers may not be able to fully understand the impact of sexual intercourse and the responsibility that comes out. A proper message is that abstinence is always a better option until a person is mature and has reached a secure relationship to partake sex. However early use of hormone contraceptives may blur these lines at times for teens. The writer is a resident oncologist in Jerusalem, Israel