Some women ask if homeopathic medicines can be used for contraception. The answer to this question is a definitive "No." Homeopathic medicines create healthy people, and in the process of doing so tend to make people more rather than less fertile.

Any pharmacological agent that is strong enough to block conception is also strong enough to cause other physiological disruptions. Birth control pills have been linked to heart disease and to breast cancer, though while some studies have found this latter link, others have not. Various less drastic but still problematic symptoms have also been associated with the use of birth control pills, including increased vaginal bleeding, migraine headaches, bladder infections, depression, and various nutritional deficiencies. Dr. Ronald W. Davey, physician to Queen Elizabeth II, notes that he sometimes uses homeopathic doses of the Pill to treat women who have suffered from side effects of this drug. To get the best results, however, a woman has to have stopped taking the Pill.

Many women have experienced symptoms from the IUD as well. Chellis Glendinning, in her book When Technology Wounds, describes her traumatic experiences with the ill-famed Dalkon shield IUD.³ Ultimately, professional care from a homeopathic physician helped restore her health when no other treatment was effective.

Side effects from conventional drugs and from medical devices generally require the attention of a professional homeopath, unless the symptoms are extremely minor.

Menopause
Menopause is a natural life phase which some doctors seem to have made into a disease. The fact that women secrete less estrogen in their fifth or sixth decade of life does not signify an ailment but is part of normal body evolution. While it is true that many women experience various symptoms during this change of life, there are many natural ways to deal with them which are safer than the lifelong estrogen replacement therapy that physicians commonly recommend (see Resources section for details).

Homeopathic medicines are effective for relieving the common symptoms experienced during menopause (hot flashes, vaginal dryness, cramping, bloating, constipation, and emotional swings). Self-care with homeopathic medicines can be provided for these symptoms, though because the symptoms can be so diverse in their effects on women's bodies and minds, it is not possible to summarize the key remedies in this book (see Resources).

Osteoporesis
Osteoporesis is one of the serious conditions that some women experience late in life. Because there are several homeopathic medicines, notably Calcarea phos (calcium phosphate), which are known to help build stronger bones, it makes sense that homeopathic remedies be considered as part of a woman's health program. However, because osteoporesis can be an insidious condition which develops without obvious symptoms prior to a fracture, women are encouraged to become familiar with the various nutritional and lifestyle factors that decrease the chances of developing osteoporesis. When such efforts are combined with homeopathic medicines, women will inevitably be significantly stronger and healthier.
Dose: Although classical homeopaths prefer to prescribe constitutionally to women just prior to, during, or after menopause, women who have increased risk factors for osteoporesis and are not under professional homeopathic care might consider taking the 6th potency of Calcarea phos once a day for three to five days, every month. If, however, the woman is undergoing professional homeopathic constitutional care, this remedy will generally not be necessary.

References
¹Harris L. Coulter, Divided Legacy: The Conflict Between Homoeopathy and the American Medical Association, Berkeley: North Atlantic, 1973, 116.
²Dr. Maria Luisa Queralt Gimeno, "Research and Practical Application of the Treatment of Forty Women with Ovarian Cysts," 45th Congress of the International League for Homeopathic Medicine, Barcelona, Spain, May, 1990.
³Chellis Glendinning, When Technology Wounds, New York: Morrow, 1990.

Resources
Lonnie Barbach, The Pause: Positive Approaches to Menopause. New York: Dutton, 1993.
Susan Curtis and Romy Fraser, Natural Healing for Women. London: Pandora, 1991.
Chellis Glendinning, When Technology Wounds. New York: Morrow, 1990.
Liz Grist, A Woman's Guide to Alternative Medicine. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1988.
Rima Handley, A Homeopathic Love Story. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 1990.
Dr. Andrew Lockie and Dr. Nicola Geddes. The Women's Guide to Homeopathy, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.
Robin Murphy, Women's Health (a set of seven tapes). Available from Homeopathic Educational Services (Berkeley, CA.). This set of tapes is not for the beginner. It provides useful, practical information for people who already have introductory level information and books and who want to expand their knowledge.
Christine Northrup, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. New York: Bantam, 1994.
Dana Ullman, The One-Minute (or so) Healer. Los Angeles: Tarcher, 1991.