I have been on birth control since my freshman year of high school. Before assumptions start flying about my sex life, I will let everyone know that I was prescribed the pill because I have a hormonal imbalance, and by taking it, my body is “back to normal.”

My imbalance is called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Basically, my ovaries make more androgens than normal. Androgens are male hormones that females produce in addition to estrogen. Such high levels of androgens affect the development and release of eggs during ovulation, hence affecting menstrual cycles.

On an even more personal level­, when I got my period for the first time, I did not get it again for almost an entire year. Mother’s intuition kicked in for my mom who thought something was off. We went to my pediatrician, an OB-GYN and an endocrinologist at Stanford. Thus, my long-lived relationship with various types of birth control began.

While at college, I have met a surprising number of young women who are not on any form of birth control. Yes, there are risks. But are not there risks in everything? Some of the young women I have met claim that birth control is unnatural or risky. I find it hard to believe that all of these people also stay away from other “risks” — high fructose corn syrup, alcohol and drugs.

According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no clear-cut effect of birth control pills on breast cancer. Just like any other prescription drug, birth control can affect things like cholesterol levels and blood pressure though. On the flip side, recent studies have proven that oral contraceptives cut ovarian cancer risk almost in half.

My point is that almost everything has both risks and benefits. In the case of birth control, I believe that the benefits outweigh said risks — especially in college.

Even though most of us have been harped on the importance of condoms since the early days of sex ed, unprotected sex is a very real and very common occurrence. Disregarding the entire risks vs. benefits debate, one thing is certain: Birth control pills have a 91 percent rate of preventing pregnancy, according to the CDC.

People get drunk and have sex. People get caught up in the moment and have sex. People have sex with a condom but it breaks. Even though there has been a spike in “casual sex,” abortions and newborns are the furthest things from casual.

To maximize pregnancy prevention, it is important to utilize all available options. Clearly birth control pills do not protect against STIs. In that sense, it is a good idea to use condoms, especially if there are suspicions or uncertainties in regard to a partner’s sexual history.

And now price, for the most part, is no issue. With the implementation of president Obama’s Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are required to cover the total cost of FDA-approved contraceptives.

There is an exception, though. Religious employers are exempt from covering birth control. Initially, religious-affiliated organizations would have been required to provide coverage, but the Supreme Court recently has blocked that implementation of the health care law.

Obviously in the case of emergencies, there is Plan B. Although it is ruled safe by medical experts and the FDA, Plan B and Plan B One-Step are essentially just high doses of synthetic hormones. Some could argue this has the same pros and cons of birth control pills.

The key difference is that basic contraceptives are safe methods of birth control whereas emergency contraception should never be taken regularly.

Given the information regarding possible risks and consequences of unsafe sex, I am shocked with the number of young women who opt not to take any form of birth control. When it comes to something as serious as casual sex, it seems more proactive to be safe than to be expecting.

Meg Zukin is a freshman television, radio and film major. Her column appears every Wednesday in Pulp. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @MargaretTZukin.

Published on January 15, 2014 at 1:06 am