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"  On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that a closely held, for-profit company can deny employees health insurance coverage for contraception if it conflicts with the employers&amp;#039; religious beliefs. Since the majority of businesses in the U.S. are closely held companies, the ruling has the potential to affect a lot of women.  One of the biggest problems with the decision, however, (and there are a few) is that it doesn&amp;#039;t take into account women who have been prescribed birth control for non-contraceptive medical reasons. While the pill is most often associated with preventing pregnancies, and thus, often comes with a stigma of promiscuity, it has non-contraceptive benefits as well.  Writer Zoe Fenson brought up this issue over at The New Republic earlier this week. In her piece, Fenson\u2014who has polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition that she was told would require her to take oral contraceptives to keep her healthy, and put her on the pill before she was even sexually active\u2014expressed her outrage at medical conditions like her own being dismissed as irrelevant: &amp;quot;By highlighting religious discomfort first and foremost, without any acknowledgement of birth control&amp;#039;s medical importance, this case communicated loud and clear that women like me are collateral damage.&amp;quot; With this in mind, we asked Dr. Eileen Krim, an ob-gyn in North Hills, New York, who&amp;#039;s affiliated with North Shore University Hospital, about the non-contraceptive benefits of birth control. &amp;quot;Birth control pills are not named correctly as they do so much more than prevent pregnancy,&amp;quot; she told us in an e-mail. &amp;quot;There are a multitude of reasons why a physician might prescribe birth control pills to his or her patients.&amp;quot; Below, Dr. Krim shared 10 reasons why a doctor might prescribe a birth control pill other than to prevent pregnancy. To Protect Against Ovarian and Uterine Cancer: Dr. Krim says that the pill protects against two very important cancers that affect women: ovarian and uterine. &amp;quot;In fact, the longer you are on the pill the more protection they offer,&amp;quot; she adds. &amp;quot;Young woman with a family history of these cancers are well served to be on the pill.&amp;quot; To Prevent Ovarian Cysts: &amp;quot;The pill rests your ovaries and while on the pill you do not ovulate or shoot out eggs,&amp;quot; she explains. &amp;quot;This protects woman from the development of ovarian cysts.&amp;quot; To Prevent and Treat Endometriosis &amp;quot;Endometriosis is a condition that causes painful periods and can lead to fertility issues. The pill also protects against endometriosis.&amp;quot; To Treat Painful Periods: &amp;quot;Some women have severely painful menses, a condition called dysmenorrhea. The pill helps to lessen their pain and in most cases totally takes away the pain.&amp;quot; To Prevent Anemia: &amp;quot;Some women have very heavy menses and this can lead to anemia,&amp;quot; Dr. Krim says. &amp;quot;Since being on the pill makes your period very light, the pill is very helpful to these women in avoiding becoming anemic.&amp;quot; To Treat PMS: &amp;quot;PMS is due to cycling hormones. The pill stops your cycle and puts you in a hormonally stable place and can help treat premenstrual syndrome.&amp;quot; To Avoid Migraines: &amp;quot;The pill can also help with menstrual migraines which are hormonally mediated.&amp;quot; To Treat Acne: &amp;quot;The pill can help clear up acne and is often recommended by dermatologists.&amp;quot; To Balance a Hormone Deficiency: &amp;quot;There are women who do not menstruate,&amp;quot; explains Dr. Krim. &amp;quot;This condition is called amenorrhea. This can be caused by weight loss, not enough body fat, or exercise. These women are estrogen depleted and that may lead to osteoporosis or vaginal dryness. The pill serves as hormone replacement for these young woman.&amp;quot; To Treat the Side-Effects of Irregular Periods: &amp;quot;There is a condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome. Women with this condition have irregular cycles and are often plagued with acne and excess body and facial hair. The pill binds their free testosterone helping with the excess hair and acne. In addition to that, the pill gives these women regular cycles.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/life-love/sex-relationships/news/a15387/the-medical-reasons-for-birth-control/>