Researchers in the United Kingdom analyzed data from the UK General Practice Research Database from January 1996 to December 2006. They compared instances of esophageal and gastric cancers in patients treated with oral bisphosphonates with a control group that had not taken the drugs. They discovered no difference in risk of cancer between patients prescribed bisphosphonates and those that had not taken them. It didn’t matter how long the patients had been on bisphosphonates, their risk was similar to patients’ that had never taken the drug. This doesn’t mean the drugs are completely safe or have no adverse side effects, but that cancer is not one risk you have to worry about. Your doctor can help you understand the risks and benefits of taking a bisphosphonate.

• Replacing some of your high-calorie, high-fat proteins with soy may be good for your heart. Excess fat around your mid-section puts you at risk for cardiovascular disease. Trading your usual breakfast for a soy shake with isoflavones can help shift fat away from your abdomen.
• Adding soy into your diet to lower the high cholesterol you inherited from Grandpa Frank won’t help. If your high cholesterol comes from eating lots of fatty cuts of meat with alcohol daily, you’d probably get just as much benefit from switching to lean cuts of meat and passing on the beer as you would switching to soy products.
• This study was very small and limited. It provides some good starting information…but more research should be done. Soy proteins with isoflavones have their place in a healthy diet, but they won’t be replacing a healthy lifestyle and medications. You should also be aware that soy acts very similar to estrogen in your body and can cause bloating, moodiness and hot flashes if you overdo it.

• There are approximately 3 million unintended pregnancies in the US every year
• In almost half of these pregnancies, the woman undergoes an abortion
• Almost 50% of women have an unintended pregnancy by age 45
• 54% of women who have an abortion were using contraception during the month they became pregnant, usually a condom or oral contraceptive

So are they safe? Let’s look at some of the major concerns with IUDs:

Risk of Perforation of the Uterus During Placement: This risk comes primarily from the amount of training your physician has had. Overall, the risk of perforation has been reported as zero to 1.3%, very low when compared to the risks you face with pregnancy.

Risk of Expulsion (your body rejecting the IUD and forcing it out): In a recent study, the rates of expulsion for levonorgestrel releasing IUDs and copper IUDs were compared. The rates of copper IUD expulsion were zero to 1.2% per year. The hormone releasing IUD expulsion rates were zero to 0.2% per year. There were no differences between women who had already had children and nulliparous women. It should be noted that these studies were done in Europe and did not use the Paragard copper IUD. A separate study of the Paragard showed a much lower expulsion rate.

Risk of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: The risk of PID in IUD users is negligible; in fact, the Mirena may have a protective effect against infection. You don’t need prophylactic treatment of anti-biotics during insertion as once thought, and in fact, patients that test positive for Chlamydia and gonorrhea after insertion can be treated safely without removal and without increasing their risk of PID.

Infertility: The risk of infertility has been linked to PID, which has been not been shown to be a concern with modern IUDs. American women have chosen the IUD at very low rates, about 5.5% for both types of IUD compared to 20% of women in France, primarily because of fear stemming from outdated information. Educate yourself on the birth control options available to you and speak to your physician about your choice.