Exercise, bone health and oral contraceptive use
This article finds that, although exercise is known to increase bone mass, this effect is not seen with women taking oral contraceptives. I know contraception is a tough issue from a health care practitioner standpoint because the reasons why women choose the birth control pill, but the BCP does unquestionably have some adverse health effects. Increased risk of blood clots is still present even in the “new generation” BCP. The BCP increases insulin resistance which can have major health impacts on many women. And now we see that it interferes with a woman’s ability to add bone mass through exercise. Remember this the next time you read an article or hear someone talking about eradicating women’s periods. I almost get ill with the thought of the arrogance that doctors have in regards to what Mother Nature thought was needed…
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins – Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise