Who uses birth control?

Dr. Stephen Linn of Essentia Health in Fargo said about one-third of his patients are prescribed birth control pills for reasons other than contraception.

Linn said birth control pills can treat a number of female health issues from reducing acne, facial hair or PMS symptoms to the prevention of certain cancers, infertility and ovarian cysts.

“Instead of calling it the birth control pill, we could call it the menstrual regulation pill. That would be an equally honest description,” Linn said.

Linn said he has treated teenage girls seeking treatment for debilitating menstrual cramps.

“Sometimes it gets into a delicate discussion with their mothers. It doesn’t mean we’re giving her permission to be sexually active. This would be a medical treatment for a medical problem,” he said.

Sanford Health’s Dr. Stephanie Dahl said about 58 percent of women nationally use oral contraception for medicinal purposes only.

More than 762,000 women on the pill have never had sex, Dahl said in a public presentation on the Affordable Care Act in March.

Tags: shesays, health