Newer versions of the contraceptive pill are not necessarily safer. Tentative
claims that older pills are linked to higher rates of heart disease have led
some doctors to switch some women to the third-generation pill. But a new study
has found that dangerous blood clots are slightly more likely in women using the
third-generation pill (British Medical Journal, vol 319, p 795). The
authors stress, however, that health problems associated with any form of the
pill are very rare.
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