Very serious question about Birth Control & arteries (yahoo news)?

Question

I don't know how many people read this news:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071107/ts_alt_afp/ushealthcontraceptive_071107142843

but it rly hit home for me. I had kidney surgery on October 31st (07) and my doctor said he was really worried about my stomach and surrounding areas due to: "build up of fatty tissues". He questioned if I ever had appendix issues when I was a child or any other surgeries in my stomach. I stated no, and I knew that was a fact.
I then read that article a few days later and was curious if that could be the problem. I have been on birth control since I was 14 years old (I will be 22 in December). The reason I am mainly on it is b.c.:
~Control of acne
~Helps with my very severe cramps
~Regulates my period, instead of having it 20 out of 30 days a month!

I am seriously thinking about getting off of it, but I wanted to see if I could find something to replace the issues above. Maybe a different pill? Herbal med? Creams? Anything?

Thank you!
~Sarah

Answer 1

The pill has always had a bit of an associated risk with the potential for strokes, especially for those that are 35 and smoke.

But this is news to me about the other condition. Interesting information. Thanks for sharing this.