By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist A new poll has found that the majority of women are woefully under-informed about the medical dangers of the birth control pill. LifeSiteNews.com is reporting that the poll, conducted by The PollingCompany/WomenTrend for Human Life International, surveyed more than 800 women aged 15-44 and found that only 40 percent of women on the pill were told about the danger of blood clots and the risk of strokes. Only 19 percent were told of the increased risk of breast cancer. As a result, all of the women surveyed - including those who were using the pill for menstrual cycle regulation rather than for birth control - said that knowing “there is new evidence to suggest that taking hormonal contraceptives may increase the risk of breast cancer” would give them serious pause. Forty-four percent said this information would make them less likely to take the pill with the same percentage saying it made no difference to them. In a second question, 54 percent of women said that use of the pill for pregnancy prevention would not be worth it if further research shows that there is a definitive link between use of hormonal birth control and cancer; 32 percent said the risk would be worth the benefits of pregnancy prevention. After learning that the birth control pill can increase the risk of contracting breast cancer, about 40 percent of women said they would be less inclined to use it. Overall, the poll found widespread usage of the pill with 78 percent of the women saying they had used it at one point or another in their lifetime with 35 percent saying they began using it under the age of 18. At the time of the poll, 35 percent were currently taking the pill with 43 percent saying they had used it in the past but no longer do so. Only 19 percent of those polled said they had never used the pill. Prevention of pregnancy was the top reason for taking the pill with regulation of monthly cycles coming in second. Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, a New jersey-based breast cancer surgeon, said women need to know more about the potential risks of the birth control pill. “The most egregious omission affecting a young woman’s life is the fact that in 2005, the International Agency on Research of Cancer listed oral contraceptives as Group I carcinogens for breast, cervical and liver cancer,” she says. “You’ll find cigarettes and asbestos in the same group as risks for lung cancer.” © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com