That birth control pills contain hormones is not exactly a revelation. Another very common term for them is "hormonal contraception". They are not benign; their side effects can be pretty brutal, and they alter cancer risks (some forms increased, some decreased).

(Some women are also prescribed hormonal contraceptive pills to mitigate problems like endometriosis.)

For the side effects you're talking about, what are the relative and absolute increases or decreases in risk? Do you have any recommended reading? My wife uses hormonal contraception so I have a vested interest in this research.

Here is nice review papers:

Medical Issues Associated with Anabolic Steroid Use: Are They Exaggerated? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3827559/

Anabolic-androgenic Steroid use and Psychopathology in Athletes. A Systematic Review https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462035/

TL;DR it's not settled issue but many adverse effects seem to be transitory. Long term usage has risks. Abuse and dependence is an health issue of course.

ps. As a interesting side note. When you visit hospitals, pay attention to the musculature of male doctors. I'm sure they are gym rats with good genes, but many of them are muscular and low fat above age 40 in a way that requires something extra. They have ways to get quality stereoids and they can monitor their liver enzyme levels etc. If anyone can dope safely, it's MD.

Only on Hacker News can you find someone using the axiomatic method to derive a conspiracy theory of doping among hospital doctors.

Funny though, I remember hearing that their were rumours a while back about female junior doctors drawing their own blood as a way to control their weight.

Have a look at the female doctors too, I think they are in on it as well. How deep does this go?