By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

Birth control pills could cause serious health problems such as breast or cervical cancer, a doctors association said Wednesday.

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) issued a warning to fertile women here against taking ``the Pill’’ as a means of contraception and to control menstruation.

The group said access to oral contraceptives is too easy in light of the possible side effects. Women can buy them without a prescription ― with the exception of those for abortion ― at drug stores.

But in countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and other developed nations, they are considered risky, and in the United States, ``highly risky.’’

Choo Soo-ho, KMA president, said oral contraceptives could result in nausea, weight gain, menstruation pattern changes and depression. Other possible side effects include pimples, stroke, hypertension, cervical cancer, kidney disorder, thyroid disorder and a tumor in the ovary.

``Especially those who have or had problems with their brain, liver, arteries, vagina and thyroid, as well as smokers over 35 years old, should never take it. Also, those who are scheduled to undergo surgery should refrain from taking it,’’ he said. ``If a female smoker takes the Pill the chance of getting blood clots, breast cancer or cervical cancer is much higher than those who don’t.’’

The association called for the health ministry to draw up a set of rules obliging doctors to prescribe it. It said the substances used in contraceptive and hormonal pills used to treat menopause are similar. ``Why shouldn’t the former one be labeled the same? It is four to six times stronger,’’ the association stated.

Kim Joo-kyung, a spokesman for the association, said fertile women, even teenagers, are overdosing the Pill to control menstruation. Intake could delay the period for several days and some women tend to use it to control menstruation around the time of important occasions.

``We are receiving information that local obstetricians recommend abortion to women who were taking the pills while unaware they were pregnant,’’ he said, adding that taking the medicine without a doctor’s observation could cause problems during pregnancy.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr