Effects of Oral Steroidal Contraception and Insulin Resistance
Consider a treatment that is considered benign by many women and doctors such as the birth control pill. This has been taken to the extent that some have even suggested that women need not have periods anymore; they can be eradicated through the use of BCPs. Remember that any time you play with the major hormones in a woman’s (or man’s) body, you are playing with a dance that Mother Nature created and we do not fully understand. The fact that BCP contributes to insulin resistance has been known for some time now, but it is nice to see the topic pop up now again in the medical literature. Many women are given BCP for “control” of ovarian cysts; polycystic ovary disease has a strong link to increased insulin resistance. Does this sound like it should be the therapy of choice?
JCEM — Abstracts: Perseghin et al. 86 (7): 3188