Women Who Take the Contraceptive Pill Can Live Longer
By admin on 2014-12-29

 A study has found that women who take the contraceptive pill can expect to live longer rather than increasing the risk of death, media reports on Saturday.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal on Friday, observed 46,000 women for nearly 40 years. Researchers compared the number of death of women on the pill with those who never took it.

British researchers said their study should reassure many millions of women across the world who have taken oral birth control pills. In general, the health benefits of the pill outweigh any risks.

In the study, women on the pill generally took it for four years. Experts concluded that the pill cut the risk of dying from bowel cancer by 38 percent and from any other diseases by about 12 percent.

But the scientists said their findings may only be true for women who have taken older-style pills rather than those on more modern types of drugs, since their study began in 1968.

Moreover, the research describes a slightly increased mortality risk in women younger than 45 who are recent or current users of the pill. The effects in younger women disappear after around 10 years, said the study authors.