Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist, recently posted about some problems with the pill, titled “How ‘The Pill’ Can Harm Your Future Child’s Health.” I’ve heard a lot of cautions against using oral contraceptives, but this concern was new to me.
Since the introduction of oral contraceptives in the early 1960′s, use of The Pill, as it is generally known, has soared to approximately 7 in 10 women of childbearing age. Among young women ages 18-24, use of oral contraceptives is especially high, reaching two-thirds in 2008.
The widespread use of oral contraceptives is a troubling issue because these types of drugs devastate beneficial bacterial flora in the gut leaving it vulnerable to colonization and dominance from pathogenic strains such as Candida Albicans, Streptococci and Staphylococci among others. By the time a woman who has used oral contraceptives is ready to have children, a severe case of gut dysbiosis has more than likely taken hold….
What does this mean for your future child’s health? A lot, as it turns out!
Gut Imbalance Reduces Absorption of Nutrients
Therefore, gut dysbiosis exposes the fetus to toxins even if the woman never eats anything but organic foods and lives in an environment with no pollutants whatsoever…
Gut Dysbiosis and Anemia Go Hand in Hand
Anemia during pregnancy is especially dangerous. Not only can it deprive the fetus of oxygen (iron helps build red blood cells and red blood cells carry oxygen), but it is linked to low birth weight and pre-term birth and the many long term health and associated developmental problems…
A Baby “Inherits” Gut Dysbiosis from Mom
The vast majority of gut flora that a child eventually develops is inherited from Mom, so if Mom has gut imbalance, so will her children and probably more severely so. Children with imbalanced gut flora are particularly predisposed to autoimmune disorders in the form of allergies, asthma, and eczema. In more severe cases of gut dysbiosis, learning disabilities manifest such as ADHD, ADD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and others…
Women choose to get on the pill for a multiple reasons — to balance hormones, to combat acne, etc. Sarah reminds us to do our research before we make such decisions.
It is vital that women take responsibility for their bodies and fully inform themselves of the potentially devastating consequences to their health and that of their children – and likely even their grandchildren – before blindly submitting themselves to the gut damaging effects of oral contraceptives.
Incandescent Ink 