Whats the link between smoking and oral contraceptives?
Women who smoke and also use oral contraceptives (birth control pills) increase several times their risk of coronary and peripheral artery diseases, heart attack, and stroke compared with nonsmoking women who use oral contraceptives. What other medical conditions are linked with smoking? Cigarettes have multiple poisons, including addictive nicotine, carbon monoxide, “tars,” and hydrogen cyanide. There are 4,000 other chemicals of varying toxicity, including 43 known carcinogens. Smoking causes: • Decreased oxygen to the heart and to other tissues in the body • Decreased exercise tolerance • Decreased HDL (good) cholesterol • Increased blood pressure and heart rate • Increased risk of developing coronary artery disease and heart attack • Increased risk of developing peripheral artery disease and stroke • Increased risk of developing lung cancer, throat cancer, chronic asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema • Increased risk of developing diabetes • Increased risk of developing a vari
