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I'm thinking resistance to birth control is going to evolve really fast, probably within a few generations. Or perhaps if there's a gene associated with forget

I'm thinking resistance to birth control is going to evolve really fast, probably within a few generations. Or perhaps if there's a gene associated with forgetting to take birth control.

scott_s 17y ago
Interesting idea, but I think most mutations that would so severely change how a woman responds to hormones would also be debilitating to the point that she wouldn't be able to have children.
- rsheridan6 17y ago
  There are already lots of fertile girls who have adverse reactions to hormonal contraceptives.
  - scott_s 17y ago
    But then they know the pill doesn't work, and will likely use a different form of birth control. In order for the mutation to spread, it would need to make the pill not work silently. And even that would be difficult, because women should realize the pill is not working because they're still menstruating.
    - coolnewtoy 17y ago
      women on the pill still menstruate
      - scott_s 17y ago
        Only if they do the 3 weeks on, 1 week off cycle that is commonly prescribed. Women who continue to take the hormone pills can skip menstruation. Related to the current discussion, women would quickly realize that their menstrual cycle is not lining up with the week of non-hormone pills.
    - rsheridan6 17y ago
      The problem is that other forms of birth control all suck in one way or another. Your chances of successfully preventing pregnancy go down if you can't use hormonal contraceptives. That's why they were a big deal when they were invented.
- tocomment 17y ago
  That's a good point. Perhpaps it could be a very indirect effect then. For example I heard some antibiotics lower the effectiveness of birth control, so perhaps a mutation that makes you get strep throat more often? Just a hypothetical example.. But that makes me wonder, whatever mechanism antibiotics use to lessen the effectiveness, couldn't a small mutation use the same mechanism?

I'm thinking resistance to birth control is going to evolve really fast, probably within a few generations. Or perhaps if there's a gene associated with forgetting to take birth control.

scott_s 17y ago

Interesting idea, but I think most mutations that would so severely change how a woman responds to hormones would also be debilitating to the point that she wouldn't be able to have children.

rsheridan6 17y ago
There are already lots of fertile girls who have adverse reactions to hormonal contraceptives.
- scott_s 17y ago
  But then they know the pill doesn't work, and will likely use a different form of birth control. In order for the mutation to spread, it would need to make the pill not work silently. And even that would be difficult, because women should realize the pill is not working because they're still menstruating.
  - coolnewtoy 17y ago
    women on the pill still menstruate
    - scott_s 17y ago
      Only if they do the 3 weeks on, 1 week off cycle that is commonly prescribed. Women who continue to take the hormone pills can skip menstruation. Related to the current discussion, women would quickly realize that their menstrual cycle is not lining up with the week of non-hormone pills.
  - rsheridan6 17y ago
    The problem is that other forms of birth control all suck in one way or another. Your chances of successfully preventing pregnancy go down if you can't use hormonal contraceptives. That's why they were a big deal when they were invented.
tocomment 17y ago
That's a good point. Perhpaps it could be a very indirect effect then. For example I heard some antibiotics lower the effectiveness of birth control, so perhaps a mutation that makes you get strep throat more often? Just a hypothetical example.. But that makes me wonder, whatever mechanism antibiotics use to lessen the effectiveness, couldn't a small mutation use the same mechanism?