THE PILL: Facts and Fallacies About Today's Oral Contraceptives

Dr. Kistner, professor at Harvard Medical School, eminent gynecologist, and one of the early propounders and defenders of the pill, covers all of its advantages and overrides most of the charges which have been leveled against it: weight gain (the pill is not necessarily the scape-goat), nausea (transient), skin blotches (guilty) on through the more serious diseases. Dr. Kistner has some interesting, different evidence on cancer of the cervix and feels that the pill is indirectly very instrumental in cancer detection since the user will be seeing a doctor twice a year. It also is alleviative in menstrual and menopausal complaints and is valuable in hormonal management. Dr. Kistner considers the larger issues (the position of the Church; the population factor, etc.) and is inclusive and persuasively positive in advocating its use. More so than last month's resume at the American Association of Planned Parenthood which did not give it as wide a clearance (re bloodclots and embolisms; vision; metabolism) although he would also agree it is not the ideal contraceptive--only better than anything else yet available.