121901 Heart Risk of the Pill Declines, but greater risk of lung-threatening blood 
            clots Study Finds
            By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

            BOSTON, Dec. 19 — The latest generation of birth control pills 
            appears to carry a smaller risk of heart attack than its 
            predecessor, a study has found.
            The Dutch study of 1,173 women found that those who took earlier, 
            second-generation pills had 2.5 times the heart-attack risk of other 
            women. But women who took the current third-generation pills had 
            essentially the same risk as other women, a study in Thursday's New 
            England Journal of Medicine found.
            Second-generation pills, which often carry the hormone 
            levonorgestrel, date to the 1970's. Third-generation contraceptives, 
            which often contain desogestrel or gestodene, became available in 
            the United States in the 1990's.
            Doctors said women should not necessarily switch to the newer pill. 
            Other studies have shown a greater risk of lung-threatening blood 
            clots with third-generation pills, especially in young women and 
            those who are just starting to use the pill, said the study's lead 
            investigator, Dr. Frits Rosendaal of Leiden University.