In 1960, three years before the Pill became available, nearly 1,600 U.S. women died of complications associated with childbirth. By 1991, advances in reproductive technology, including the Pill and safe and legal abortion, reduced the number of maternal deaths to 323. In fact, protection against cancer of the ovaries or the lining of the uterus can last 15 years after stopping the Pill. The Pill may also offer some protection against osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Smoking is one of American women's greatest health risks Women who smoke die nearly seven years earlier than nonsmokers.
Smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to develop cervical cancer.
Smoking is also associated with cancers of the mouth, throat, pancreas, and bladder. Smoking seems to stimulate the recurrence of genital warts. Smoking is associated with early menopause. The Pill, like all medications, has some side effects and poses some health risks, but to a much lesser degree than smoking. Side effects may include temporary irregular bleeding, breast tenderness, weight gain or loss, and other discomforts.