A study at the American Heart Association meeting in Orlado this week revealed a rise in arterial plaques in women who took the pill: plaques were 20-30% more prevalent for each decade of pill use. They were small plaques, but any are thought to raise the risk of heart disease (AP).

Potentially frightening stuff, though there’s no data as yet on actual heart disease risk. And ABC news points out that previous studies have come to different conclusions.

Very, very few stories, surprisingly, take the time to compare this new result to the previously touted health benefits of the pill. “Some experts believe the cancer-protective benefits are so strong that every young woman should take the pill for one year just to get this protection,” writes Deborah Kotz in US News, who argues that we need bigger, better, more controlled studies of the long-term effects of hormone exposure. And / or a male pill.