Dear Miabella,

The best thing to do is stop smoking. Women who smoke are advised against using the pill, ring, or patch. Pill users who smoke — especially those who are 35 and over — take very serious health risks. The more a woman smokes, the greater the danger. It's important to let your clinician know that you are a smoker if you are considering going on any combined hormone method of birth control — the pill, the patch, or the ring.

The alternative, equally effective, ongoing methods for women who smoke are the IUD or the shot — a single-hormone (progestin) injection.

There are many reasons to quit smoking besides wanting to get on the pill. Here are a few:

1. Women who smoke die nearly seven years earlier than nonsmokers.



2. Smokers are four times as likely as nonsmokers to develop lung cancer — the number-one cause of cancer death for U.S. women.



3. Smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to develop cervical cancer.



4. Smokers have twice as much heart disease — those who smoke two packs or more a day have three times as much.



5. Smoking is also associated with cancers of the mouth, throat, pancreas, and bladder.



6. Smoking seems to stimulate the recurrence of genital warts.



7. Smoking is associated with early menopause.

Are you ready to quit yet? Here are some helpful websites to get you started:

• How Can I Quit Smoking?



• GottaQuit.com



• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — How to Quit

In answer to your second question about telling your parents about smoking: Most health care providers keep their clients' information confidential, but certain providers may not keep teens' information confidential, for one reason or another. Check with your provider about confidentiality policies.

Hope this information helps!

Take care,

teenwire.com^® Editors

This column is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have a medical problem, please call toll-free 1-800-230-PLAN for an appointment with the Planned Parenthood health center nearest you.