{"id":11396,"date":"2021-01-16T10:27:48","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T16:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/?p=11396"},"modified":"2024-05-20T13:46:42","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T18:46:42","slug":"ciclos-irregulares-control-de-natalidad-muerte-prematura","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/es\/irregular-cycles-birth-control-early-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Relaci\u00f3n entre ciclos irregulares, anticonceptivos y muerte prematura"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the fertility awareness world, it is no secret that we advocate for the medical community to consider the menstrual cycle a vital sign of health<\/a>. Often sequestered to that aisle in the drug store or murmurs in the bathroom, periods have long gotten a bad rap. We\u2019re learning now that not only do periods open a previously hidden door of new understanding into women\u2019s well being and health, but healthy and balanced cycles have recently been linked with living longer.  Finally, the PR for periods may be getting a long-overdue overhaul. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A landmark prospective cohort study<\/a> out of Boston, published in the British Medical Journal <\/em>this past August, found an association between irregular and long menstrual cycles* in adolescence and adulthood with a greater risk of premature mortality (described as death before the age of  70 years old) [1]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This association between menstrual cycles and premature death was independent of body mass index (BMI) and was present with or without signs of PCOS, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids. This indicates that hormonal disorders alone are not the culprit behind early death, but rather an indication that the lack of regular ovulation and menstruation could be the root of this association. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is huge. It means if hormonal disorders<\/a> are effectively treated, and regular ovulation is supported for women of reproductive age, then women with hormonal disorders can reap long-lasting health benefits just as well as women without such disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The connections between irregular cycles, teenage birth control use, and early death<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In an even more striking finding, the same study discovered an increased risk of early death among women who used oral contraceptives during their teen years, specifically between the ages 14-17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This indicates two really important things that fertility awareness advocates have been positively shouting about for years: First, that having a regular, balanced period matters for a woman\u2019s current and future health<\/a>. Second, how the pattern of fertility cycles unfolds in a young woman\u2019s early years matters.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a sad irony that teens younger than 17 are more likely to be put on the Pill\u2014or any other form of hormonal contraception\u2014due to long or irregular periods<\/a>, rather than for the express purpose of contraception. But irregular periods are more than merely annoying, and are thought to be a sign of something far more serious: a disrupted hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis. A disturbed HPO axis<\/a> is associated with \u201cnon-communicable diseases, including ovarian cancer, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and mental health problems, through mechanisms probably related to a disrupted hormonal environment, chronic inflammation, and metabolic disturbances.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While irregular periods can be normal in the beginning years of puberty<\/a>, there should be a progression over time to more regularity. In the case that a young girl experiences irregular periods that don\u2019t progress toward maturation, this is often a sign of some type of hormonal imbalance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what does this have to do with birth control? As we\u2019ve discussed at length before, hormonal contraception doesn\u2019t regulate anything<\/a> about a woman\u2019s cycle, but rather, it shuts down the all-important HPO axis. So instead of having a true menstrual period each month, a girl or woman on birth control has a false hormone withdrawal bleed every month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n