I heard it’s dangerous to take the Pill for more than 10 years. Is that true? Is there a limit?

No, it’s not true, and there is no limit to how long a woman can take the pill. Millions of women around the world have taken the pill since the FDA approved it in 1960. It has been the most scrupulously tested medication of our time.

Countless women take the pill from adolescence through perimenopause. Many stopped taking the pill only when they wanted to become pregnant and started taking it again after giving birth. Women not only rely on it for contraception but for menstrual regularity and other benefits. These benefits include

  • less menstrual flow and cramping
  • less infection of the fallopian tubes (pelvic inflammatory disease), which often leads to infertility
  • fewer ectopic pregnancies (those in a fallopian tube)
  • fewer noncancerous breast growths
  • fewer ovarian cysts
  • reduced risk of cancer of the lining of the uterus and of the ovaries
  • less iron-deficiency anemia that results from heavy menses
  • less acne
  • fewer premenstrual symptoms, as well as related headaches and depression
  • protection against osteoporosis — loss of bone mass
  • less excess body hair
  • less vaginal dryness and painful intercourse associated with menopause

The fact is that over the long term, use of the pill has offered many health benefits to millions of women worldwide.