A new diet tea used by thousands of women to lose weight, by undergoing a detox or "teatox," has brought an unexpected side effect: unplanned pregnancy.
Bootea, an herbal tea that brings a laxative effect to its drinkers, became in demand because even celebrities like Katie Price, Kim Kardashian and Michelle Keegan swear by its slimming effect. But what some women found out, several weeks into their tea-drinking routine, was that it may have actually interfered with the effectiveness of their contraceptive pills.
"I have been drinking Bootea for the past 6 months or so for about 2 weeks of every month," said Naomi, 26, from Manchester, via the Netmums forum. "Like every young girl I am conscious about my weight and had done plenty of research into a new "fad" of detox tea to help loose a couple of extra pounds....Or I thought I had!!!!" she added. Naomi S recounted her disbelief after learning she was pregnant when she had been "regimental" about taking contraception. A friend told her of the warning on Bootea's website.
Under Bootea's Frequently Asked Questions section, it read: "Bootea may affect the accuracy of the pill IF you take your pill in the morning within 4 hours of the laxative effect. If you take the pill at night you will be fine as it takes around 10 hours for the laxative effect of the night time tea bags to set in. We are sorry but we cannot comment on other forms of contraception and would ask you to consult your doctor, nurse or pharmacist with the list of our ingredients on our 'About' page."
The phrase, "We advise the use of condoms for the duration of your teatox," was already removed from the page, but it used to be on the site, according to Inquisitr. Nevertheless, the warning about how it affects the pill wasn't found in the actual packaging.
However, in a Daily Mail report, Dr. Sarah Hardman of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare in London had a different view, "If women are taking something that is not a prescribed medication then they have to take responsibility for looking at the potential risks."
The likelihood of pregnancy is highly present each time a contraceptive pill is not absorbed by the body effectively, and that usually happens when undergoing a detoxification process, so says an expert, Dr. Gino Pecoraro from the Australian Medical Association via Mamamia.
Bootea works to increase the body's metabolism that leads to the excretion of its contents faster. According to Dr. Pecoraro, "It's the same as if the woman is vomiting or experiencing diarrhoea." He further explains, "By [the tea] causing diarrhoea you don't have time to absorb the pill." Unfortunately, a lot of its drinkers are not aware of this fact.
