At the age of 23, Alex Rowan had a promising writing career ahead of her when she collapsed from a massive pulmonary embolism caused by the hormonal birth control pill. “She was on it for six months and dropped dead with no warning,” reports her father.
A comprehensive review of the scientific literature concerning the side effects of hormonal contraceptives conducted by a team of experts showed the magnitude of the problem.
According to the review, approximately 1.2 million American women are currently affected by one or more serious medical conditions directly as a result of their past or current use of hormonal contraceptives.
These conditions include: Breast cancer, Blood clots and other cardiovascular risks, Cervical cancer, Osteoporosis, Auto-immune diseases, Female sexual dysfunction, Depression, Anxiety, and other mood disorders, and even suicide. In particular, the Depo-Provera “birth control shot,” is known to increase a woman’s risk of contracting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDs).
That’s why in 2019, we petitioned the FDA to request the complete removal of long-acting injectable contraceptive Depo-Provera from the market, and to require pharmaceutical companies to update the prescribing information of other contraceptives so that patients would be better warned about the myriad risks and side effects hormonal contraceptives pose to all women.
This petition has been met by a deafening silence: 2 years later, we’re still waiting for the FDA to respond.
This is unacceptable. That is why your signature is urgently needed. If we don’t take action, nothing will change, and big pharma will continue to ignore the plight of the many girls, women, and their families, who have been directly harmed by hormonal contraceptives.
With your signature supporting the petition in hand, we will go back to the FDA, and make sure the voices of thousands of Americans are no longer ignored. But first, we need as many signatures as possible.
Rest assured that our website is highly secured, and your contact information will remain strictly confidential. Thank you very much for your support. Respectfully,
Deacon William V. Williams, MD, FACP, main author of the FDA Petition
Kathleen M. Raviele, MD, FACOG
Gerard Migeon, CEO of Natural Womanhood
Goal: 25,000 signatures
TO: Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration,
The double standard for safety when it comes to birth control is unacceptable. Equally unacceptable is the lack of information given to girls and women about the known risks of hormonal contraception. I demand the FDA require pharmaceutical manufacturers of hormonal birth control to update their prescribing information and packaging inserts to reflect the evidence-based risks and side effects of their products, as outlined in this official petition letter.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Read more about the evidence-based side effects and risks of hormonal contraceptives here and about the original FDA petition here.
To learn more about the history of birth control, be sure to tune in to Episode 4 of the Natural Womanhood podcast: “The surprising (and sordid) history of hormonal birth control.”