Smoking and birth control?

Question

I don't completely understand everything I've been reading about the two. Does smoking lower the effectiveness of the pill or just put you at a greater risk of Heart Disease? AND YES, I am completely informed about birth control and all of this, so please don't tell me I'm an idiot. Is it so wrong for people to be confused and ask questions?

Answer 1

Smoking does not lower the effects of the pill, but it can increase your chances of heart disease, blood clots, etc. Especially in older women.

Answer 2

The answer to your question is maybe. Several health risks go along specifically with smoking while on the birth control pill. There is some evidence that smoking can decrease the effectiveness of OCs. Smoking causes a breakdown of estrogen, thus lowering the body's estrogen levels, which in turn plays a role in the effectiveness of the pill. Some smokers will experience spotting or breakthrough bleeding on the pill, more so than non-smokers. This could signal that the efficacy of the pill is lowered. More research needs to be conducted to better understand how, to what degree, and in what timetable smoking decreases the pill's effectiveness.

What we know for sure is that women who smoke and take oral contraceptives (OCs) increase their risk of heart disease. This risk is a dose-related situation — meaning, the more you smoke, the older you are, and the higher the levels of estrogen in your pill, the greater the risk. So in regards to heart disease, you need to consider the number of cigarettes you smoke per day, your age, and the type of pill you are taking.

In the meantime, talk with your gynecologist or another women's health care provider about your social smoking. Since you are taking OCs, it's important that s/he know that you smoke in order to consider which birth control pill or another contraceptive is the best option for you.

Answer 3

Doctors will tell you not to smoke when using birth control because it can cause heart disease and other types of diseases. It's all a bunch of phoney baloney! I smoked the entire time I was on birth control. Never did anything with me! I did have a friend however that developed a heart condition while on the depo- provera. But she did not smoke. It does not lower the effects.

Answer 4

Smoking while on birth control increases your risks for blood clots, which can cause a stroke if a blood clot breaks loose and reaches your brain or a heart attack if it reaches your heart. As far as I know smoking has no effect on the effectiveness of birth control. I am NOT a medical professional!!! It is not wrong to be confused and ask questions, it is wrong to willfully remain ignorant. The answerer's who attack the person who is asking an honest question are trying to make themselves feel smarter, which only shows their lack of intelligence.

Answer 5

As far as I know (I could be wrong) smoking in and of itself does not lower the effectiveness of birth control. Missing pills, not taking them at the same time every day, and being moderately to significantly overweight can decrease their effectiveness. Smoking while on birth control increases your risk of developing blood clots, especially in women over 35. Smoking in and of itself increases the risk of heart disease, regardless of whether birth control is being taken at the time.

Answer 6

I smoked while i was on birth control for 5 years and smoked for 5 years while i was on it and i am completely fine. BUT every person is DIFFERENT

Answer 7

Cigarette smoking releases nicotine into the bloodstream and raises cholesterol. These effects can compound with birth control pills to seriously increase the chance of a cardiovascular incident. Marijuana does not contain nicotine or raise cholesterol, so there aren't cardiovascular effects.

Answer 8

I had smoked while I was on birth control. As long as you take them like you are spose to you will be fine. Every person is diffrent.

Answer 9

smoking and birth control can increase your risk for heart disease and clotting factors..It doesn't lower birth control effectiveness... Just quit smoking then you don't have to worry about it right?

Answer 10

An excerpt from the Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR), a text describing prescription medications and the risks associated, reads as follows:

WARNING: Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects from oral contraceptive use. This risk increases with age and heavy smoking (15 or more cigarettes per day) and is quite marked in women over 35 years of age. Women who use oral contraceptives should be strongly advised not to smoke. More specifically, risks increase for heart attacks, blood clots, stroke, liver cancer, and gallbladder disease, although the risk is very small in healthy women without underlying risk factors.

Using the pill also increases your risk of developing cervical cancer and breast cancer:

http://www.healthsentinel.com/printer.php?id=1017&title=Pill+and+HRT+drugs+cause+cancer%2C+say+researchers&event=news_print_list_item&printerfriendly=1&prefix=news_
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1894085.stm
http://www.pregnantpause.org/safe/pillcanc.htm

More side effects of the pill:

http://www.mercola.com/display/PrintPage.aspx?docid=30397&PrintPage=yes

The pill can also cause you to have an early abortion without your knowledge:

http://epm.org/articles/bcp3300.html
http://www.pregnantpause.org/abort/untold.htm