SUMMARY

The aim of this website is to help women and their families stay healthy by avoiding use of contraceptive and menopausal hormones (the ‘Pill’ and HRT).

The Contraceptive Pill and HRT cause many serious illnesses with three times more deaths in young women "pill" takers than in young non-takers (as shown in the world's largest "pill" study from the Royal College of General Practitioners).

Contraceptive and HRT hormones increase the risk of serious illnesses - not only as Pills but also as jabs, implants, gels and hormone-containing IUDs (intra-uterine devices).

What makes these hormones so dangerous? Pill hormones (progestogens and oestrogens) are steroid ‘messengers’ which pass to all parts of the body and powerfully influence ALL BODY SYSTEMS.

Increases in pill hormone taking increases cancers. These include breast cancers, carcinoma-in-situ (positive smears), cervical, ovarian, as well as many other cancers. Rises and falls in breast cancer with changing hormone use since 1962 are shown in the slides from Review Lecture 1 Click here.

Further information about breast and other common cancers is shown in Review lecture 2 Click here.

NEWS
1 All hormonal contraceptives act mostly like progesterone which can cause depression by increasing monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and lowering serotonin levels. If antidepressants are continued during pregnancy, children are more likely to develop autism.
Re: Parental depression, maternal antidepressant use during pregnancy, and risk of autism spectrum disorders: population based case-control study | The BMJ

2 Progesterone (maintains pregnancy) but levels fail to rise as the baby grows in women with a history of miscarriage. The NICE guideline 24 November 2021 recommends use of micronised progesterone which doubled the risk of breast cancer in the world’s studies.
Foresight (The Association for Preconception Care) found miscarriages and infertility responded to a high protein low allergy diet with monitored nutritional supplementation and avoidance of common social poisons including smoking, alcohol, drugs, unnecessary medications especially hormones.
NICE recommends progesterone to prevent early miscarriage | The BMJ


3 When use of HRT in westernised countries fell from 36 million to 12 million following the early termination of the WHI randomized control trials, the incidences of breast and ovarian cancer and mortality also fell. Unfortunately the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists continue to advocate HRT to treat a normal physiological event which protects older women from high levels of potentially carcinogenic sex hormones.
HRT and breast cancer risk | The BMJ



INCREASES IN HORMONE TAKING INCREASES CANCERS

Further information about the increased risks of hormone-dependent cancers and lung, liver, skin melanomas and brain tumours is detailed in Review lecture 2 Click here.

Decreased hormone use quickly lowers incidences of breast and ovarian cancers in hormone taking countries (EC Grant BMJ 2005 and JAMA Oncology 2018)

Pill steroid hormones change immunity resulting in proven increases in infections - viral, bacterial and fungal infections like thrush, sexually transmitted diseases like HPV (associated with cervix cancer), HIV, and PID (pelvic inflammatory disease). Also increased are endometriosis, fibroids and ovarian cysts. These conditions often lead to hysterectomies and removal of ovaries before the menopause and too often even before age 40. In consequence many young women are been given progesterone or Pill progestogens again as HRT although the risk of breast cancer and breast cancer mortality doubles after a total lifetime's exposure of only 5 years. . HRT use in Westernised countries has fallen from 36 to 12 million since 2004 when the WHI studies were terminated early because of proven increases in breast cancer and vascular diseases.(V Beral Lancet 2019)

Mood changes including loss of energy, depression, irritability are common and sometimes are severe with violence and marriage break-ups resulting. Biochemical changes which cause the Premenstrual Syndrome for a few days at the end of a normal cycle are continuous with progesterone dominant hormonal contraceptives.

Pill steroid hormones also change immunity resulting in increases in infections - viral, bacterial and fungal infections (e.g. thrush), sexually transmitted diseases like HPV (associated with cervix cancer) and PID (pelvic inflammatory disease). Also increased are endometriosis, fibroids and ovarian cysts (including polycystic ovaries), autoimmune diseases and a variety of other conditions.

In children there is an increased risk of behavioural and developmental abnormalities including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD likely to relate to toxic metals and the zinc and magnesium deficiencies associated with these hormones - (see * under Further Information) and homosexuality if hormones are taken in early pregnancy. Blood tests for these abnormalities are available for doctors and their patients at some laboratories. Effects on children Review Lecture 3 Click here

Why are doctors not warning of these associations?

The harm from these hormones suffered by women, children and families is being tolerated because of misleading research often ghost written by drug companies. Untrue benefits were claimed for HRT and increased sales for many decades.

Studies have underestimated risks because few women in the never-user control groups were genuine never takers of these hormones. Most women have taken hormones at some time in their lives. It is not always realised that the same hormones are also used for reasons other than contraception. These hormones are given for HRT and for regularising periods, period pains, other gynaecological conditions and acne. As a result, women may mistakenly believe that they have never taken the 'pill'. These women will incorrectly increase the numbers in never-user control groups in epidemiological studies. This can give a falsely lowered risk.

Unfortunately, use of such inaccurate data has even resulted in false claims of benefit in cancers which are relatively rare in young women. It is wrong to believe that contraceptive hormones (even if taken for a short time during the past 20 years!) can prevent ovarian cancer because ovarian cancer can be caused by the same hormones when taken as HRT.

Also, different doctors may be involved at different stages of an illness e.g. the GP or family planning doctor prescribes the contraceptive hormone, an oncologist treats the cancer, a psychiatrist may treat the depression and a social worker may be involved in the problems resulting from violence and family break-up . This specialization may distance doctors from the overall picture and make it more difficult for them to distinguish cause and effect of illness linked to contraceptive hormones.

The time delay before certain symptoms develop (especially some cancers) may make it difficult for doctors to associate the symptoms with the Pill. They may also query whether one medication could cause so many disparate medical conditions – forgetting that this is part of the nature of hormones which act as chemical messengers to all parts and systems of the body.

For those doctors who do become suspicious of a link, it will be almost impossible to overturn the massive hormonal bandwagon. This is because decades of flawed information and spin have given the public false confidence in safety – (people will find it impossible to believe that the medication they have been given by trusted medical practitioners could be so harmful). Doctors may also be afraid that they will be accused of causing a ‘scare’.

Furthermore, well-meaning people may genuinely believe the Pill could be the answer to concerns about world overpopulation but hormone use can also cause massive ill health for women and their families.

NB All contraceptive Pills, implants, injections or progestogen intrauterine devices IUDs, patches or creams contain hormones - Emergency contraceptives or morning-after pills are mostly high doses of progestogens. Half of all menopausal women are likely to have taken Pill hormones again, this time as HRT.

The harm from contraceptive hormones suffered by women, children and families is being tolerated because of flawed research, spin and concerns about overpopulation

Doctors have given women these hormones for decades. Most doctors believe that preventing pregnancy outweighs the risks of taking hormones. In spite of this, teenage pregnancies are still a problem because of earlier age of first sex & more sexual partners - so Pill hormones are now being given out by school nurses and pharmacists. Also, very powerful long-acting (progestogen) contraceptives are being recommended because pills can be missed or stopped, especially because of weight gain or depression; but side effects of long-acting hormonal contraceptives may not be easily reversed, especially as progesterone stores in body fat, which can adversely affect a child in pregnancy.

INCREASES IN HORMONE TAKING INCREASES CANCERS
These include - breast cancers, carcinoma-in-situ (positive smears), cervical, ovary, lung, and liver cancers, skin melanomas and brain tumours within a year or two
Decreased hormone use quickly lowers new cancer incidences

What makes Pill hormones so dangerous? Pill hormones (progestogens and oestrogens) are steroid messengers and powerfully affect ALL BODY SYSTEMS. Steroids can suppress some warning symptoms, like period pains or flushing, but underlying biochemical abnormalities can increase and cause illnesses.

Progestogens/progestins act like the natural hormone progesterone. High levels block ovulation and so prevent pregnancy. All contraceptive Pills, depot implants, injections or progestogen IUDs, patches or creams mostly act like progesterone.
Both Synthetic AND Natural progesterones (progestogens) activate thousands of genes (many more than oestrogens) changing immune responses & rapidly growing blood vessels.

Fundamental discoveries in the 1960s revealed that harmful effects of contraceptive pills are due to the normal biological actions of progesterone and oestrogen being exaggerated and prolonged. Pills containing a powerful progestogen and a low dose of oestrogen resulted in a thin womb lining and scanty periods, but blood vessels overgrew especially in women with migraine headaches. Premenstrual symptoms lasted for weeks instead of days as depression, loss of libido & violence related to prolonged increases in monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzymes. (MAO inhibitor drugs are antidepressants.) Dilated veins in the womb and blood clotting changes signalled increased thrombosis risk.
Grant, ECG. British Medical Journal, The Lancet, British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Other proven side effects are marriage break-ups (doubled), hypertension, heart attacks, sore breasts, breast lumps, sore legs, leg cramps, pulmonary emboli, irregular bleeding or no periods (even sometimes extending into a premature menopause); also post-pill infertility (sometimes increasing use of IVF for pregnancy) or miscarriages. Metabolic changes increase the risk of weight gain and  diabetes. In many hormone takers, mineral deficiencies decrease secretion of digestive enzymes from the pancreas which impairs absorption of essential nutrients from the gut.

The Combined Pill contains both progestogen and oestrogen hormones. High enough doses of progestogens prevent ovulation and pregnancy. Oestrogen doses were lowered because oestrogen causes womb cancer and blood clots. Subsequently newer progestogens were more powerful at  lower doses. Such newer pills, called second and third generation pills, actually caused more strokes and thrombosis than older pills.

Progestogen-only oestrogen-free contraceptives are now being promoted to lessen thrombosis but migraine, strokes, depression, irritability, loss of libido, bleeding, weight gain (which can be huge), osteoporosis, and cancer may result. Emergency contraceptives (morning-after pills) are mostly high doses of progestogens. Long acting progestogen implants/injectables have a risk of thrombosis which is similar to some combined pills containing oestrogens. (van Hylckama A et al. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2010:30:2297-2300)

Taking progesterone in pregnancy risks sexual (including homosexuality) and other developmental abnormalities for the child. “Unexplained” recurrent miscarriages or premature labour are usually due to treatable mineral and vitamin deficiencies, toxic metals and infections; all more likely in past pill takers. Good preconception care does not usually need further hormone taking.  

Contraceptive studies have confused the issues. Over 60 medical conditions increased in takers in the first few years of the world's largest Pill study (Royal College of GPs). Surprisingly, health benefits were claimed (even though one in three women had left the study and many younger never-takers were switched to be Pill-takers to replace losses). Women who ever took the Pill were three times more likely to die before age 30. Violent deaths were still increased for up to 40 years. Ever taking the Pill for 44 months was claimed to prevent premature deaths because of a crucial mistake of not recording recent hormone use in the last 10 years of the study, when 75% of the deaths occurred. Half of menopausal women are likely to have taken Pill hormones again, this time as HRT. Combined HRT has been proved to increase deaths.

Studies have underestimated risks because most women have taken hormones at sometime in their lives and few controls were genuine never-takers. Even so, the American WHI randomised study has proved that Combined Progestin/estrogen Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) should not be used because of rapid increases the commonest cancer (breast), the commonest cause of cancer deaths (lung), strokes and heart attacks. In January 2010, The Lancet Home Page quoted from Doctor Grant's correspondence that 'there is no valid reason for taking HRT, which is now dead and should be buried'.