The Pill and Animal Testing
| By Anai Rhoads
Anai Rhoads is a Human Rights journalist originally from Athens, Greece. Her work has been featured on several web based newspapers and media outlets, which include ZMagazine, MP Watch and Media Monitors. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief for AnaiRhoads.org. A dedicated vegan since 2000, she is an advocate of activities which promote animal rights. Anai currently resides on the east coast with her husband and their daughter.
This is an archived Q&A. The following information might not be up-to-date.
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Question: I'm on birth control pills for birth control, but also for medical reasons. I have been a vegan for several years but feel hypocritical since pills are obviously tested on animals and probably are derived from animal sources. Are there any pills that come from plant sources or at least, are there some that are better than others? Kimberly
Answer: The three main roles of Pill are to prevent ovulation, thicken cervical mucous and to stop the fertilised egg from having a chance to implant into the uterine wall.
The estrogen in the pill will inhibit progesterone. Progesterone's role is to assist with implantation and to sustain life. Without progesterone, the possibly "live" egg is swept out during menstruation. As you can see, it is not only the animal testing that is a concern when using the pill.
I have not been able to find a pill that has not been tested on animals, but did find one that seems to be easier on a woman's body. The pill is called Yasmin. I have included some information below:
http://www.yasmin-us.com/home.htmlImportant Information About YASMIN®
"What makes YASMIN different from other birth control pills? It contains a different type of progestin (hormone) which may work with your body chemistry by affecting the excess sodium and water in your body while also maintaining, and in some cases increasing, your potassium. For healthy women this is not a problem. How can you be sure YASMIN is safe for you? Consult your doctor. You should not take YASMIN if you have kidney, liver or adrenal disease because this could cause serious heart and health problems. What drugs Could interfere with YASMIN? Potassium-increasing drugs. Tell your doctor if you are on daily, long-term treatment for a chronic condition with any of the following: NSAIDs-ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®), naproxen (Naprosyn®, Aleve®, and others) when taken long-term and daily for arthritis or other diseases or conditions, Potassium-sparing diuretics (spironolactone and others), Potassium supplementation, ACE inhibitors (Capoten®,Vasotec®, Zestril®, and others), Angiotensin-II receptor antagonists (Cozaar®, Diovan®, Avapro®, and others), and Heparin. Women who take any of the preceding drugs every day should have their potassium level checked in the first month of taking YASMIN".
Consult with your doctor or pharmacist for a list of pills that had no prior (or current) animal lab testing. Doing this may be able to better yield results for you.
Thank you for writing. I am certain that your question will raise some eyebrows!
Anai Rhoads
