It's long been known that birth control pills have a checkered history.
Before the era of informed consent in clinical trials, hormonal contraceptives were tested in vulnerable populations.
The warning labels of blood clots and heart attack risk were only added to packaging inserts in 1978. The hormone-emitting NuvaRing birth control method was linked to pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in lung arteries), leading to thousands of lawsuits against Merck.
Still, use is widespread: 12 million women are currently on the pill, and 80% of women have used it at some point in their life either to prevent pregnancy, regulate their periods, or treat their acne.
In The Business of Birth Control , a documentary available digitally and in theaters this week, the filmmakers argue that while hormonal birth control was considered a huge step toward women's reproductive freedom when doctors began prescribing it 60 years ago, it also isn't without its share of risks, which may be why more and more women are seeking holistic and ecological alternatives to the pill.
"This film questions assumptions," says Jacques Moritz, MD, an OB/GYN and medical director for Tia Clinic, a women's health practice in New York City featured in the film. "There's a paradigm shift happening right now, where women are more empowered about their birth control options instead of just being given a prescription and told to 'take it and you'll be fine.'"
