Breast cancer and oral contraceptives: findings in Oxford-Family Planning Association contraceptive study

Among the 17 032 women taking part in the Oxford-Family Planning Association contraceptive study, 72 were first diagnosed as having breast cancer between the date they were admitted to the study and 1 September 1980. The relative risk of developing the disease in women who had used oral contraceptives in comparison with those who had never used them was estimated to be 0.96 (95% confidence limits 0.59 to 1.63). Among women aged under 35 years, the corresponding relative risk (based on only 14 women with breast cancer) was estimated to be 0.61. No relation was apparent between the risk of developing breast cancer and duration of oral-contraceptive use or interval since first oral-contraceptive use in any age group. The data in this study are thus reassuring; but observations based on women with long-term use of oral contraceptives, especially those starting to use the preparations at an early age, are few.     

Decreased risk of symptomatic chlamydial pelvic inflammatory disease associated with oral contraceptive use

Studies have shown that oral contraceptive use may protect against pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), but it is not known whether oral contraceptives protect against the disease among women already infected with Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The relationship between oral contraceptive use and PID was analyzed in a case-control study of 141 women with verified PID and 739 randomly selected, sexually active women with no clinical evidence of the disease. Case and control subjects were stratified on the basis of infection with C trachomatis, N gonorrhoeae, or neither organism. Among women infected with C trachomatis alone, those with PID were less likely than control subjects to use oral contraceptives. The association was significant when oral contraceptive use was compared with nonuse (odds ratio, 0.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.08 to 0.64) and with noncontraception (odds ratio, 0.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.06 to 0.53) and remained so after adjusting for potential confounding variables by logistic regression analysis. Among women infected with N gonorrhoeae alone, no association was found between use of oral contraceptives and PID. These data suggest that oral contraceptive use protects against symptomatic PID among women infected with C trachomatis but not among those infected with N gonorrhoeae.     

Oral contraceptives and breast cancer: a national study

In a population based case-control study 433 New Zealand women aged 25-54 with newly diagnosed breast cancer were compared with 897 women selected at random from the electoral rolls. The relative risk of breast cancer in women who had ever used oral contraceptives was 0.94 (95% confidence interval 0.70 to 1.25). The relative risk in women aged 25-34 at diagnosis was estimated to be 2.2 (95% confidence interval 0.47 to 9.9) and in older women less than 1. Analyses of risk by duration of use of oral contraceptives, age at first use, and time since first use showed no adverse effect of the pill. In particular, there was no increased risk in women who had used oral contraceptives before the age of 25 or before their first pregnancy, even for prolonged periods. Given the high prevalence of use in New Zealand, this study provides strong evidence against the hypothesis that use of oral contraceptives at young ages increases the risk of breast cancer.     

Oral contraceptives and cervical cancer risk in Costa Rica. Detection bias or causal association?

To examine the relationship between cervical cancer and oral contraceptive (OC) use, we analyzed data from a population-based, case-control study in Costa Rica. Women aged 25 to 58 years in whom cervical cancer was diagnosed and reported to the National Tumor Registry were examined as two separate case groups: invasive cervical cancer and carcinoma in situ (CIS). Controls were women aged 25 to 58 years identified through a national survey. Women who had used OCs had no increased risk of invasive cervical cancer compared with women who had never used OCs (relative risk, 0.8; 95% confidence interval, 0.5 to 1.3). Women who had used OCs had an increased risk of CIS compared with those who had never used OCs (relative risk, 1.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 2.2). However, further analyses indicated that this increased risk was confined to those who had recently used OCs. Also, the risk of CIS was not elevated in subgroups in which a history of cervical smears was not strongly linked to OC use. The elevated risk of CIS among OC users may therefore reflect a bias caused by enhanced detection of disease rather than a causal association.     

Do oral contraceptives prevent rheumatoid arthritis?

Two studies have suggested that the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women using oral contraceptives is less than half that of nonusers. When a third study from the Mayo Clinic failed to confirm these findings, it was criticized for inclusion of ineligible subjects, misclassification of oral contraceptive use, and inadequate statistical power. Recent expansion of the Mayo Clinic's data resources provided a unique opportunity to resolve the controversy, and a new population-based case-control study was undertaken. In comparison with the previous study, the new investigation had 2.2 times as many eligible cases and more complete ascertainment of oral contraceptive use via access to the records of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota. Comparing any prior use of oral contraceptives with never having used them, the relative risk of rheumatoid arthritis estimated from 182 cases and their 182 matched controls was 1.1 (95% confidence interval 0.7 to 1.7). The relative risk for current use was 1.3 (95% confidence interval, 0.7 to 2.4). The lack of a protective effect was independent of age, disease severity, and disease end point (date of confirmed diagnosis or symptom onset).     

Cancer of the liver and the use of oral contraceptives

A case-control study of the use of oral contraceptives was conducted among women certified as having died from cancer of the liver in the period 1979-82 and in the age range 20-44 years. An age matched group of women who died from other causes, not related to use of oral contraceptives, in the same period were used as controls. Information about use of oral contraceptives was obtained from the general practitioners' notes for both cases and controls. Information was obtained for 30 women with histologically confirmed liver cancer, 19 with hepatocellular carcinoma and 11 with cholangiocarcinoma, and for 147 controls. The results were analysed after adjusting for age at diagnosis and year of birth and showed that use of oral contraceptives was associated with a significantly (p less than 0.05) raised relative risk for hepatocellular carcinoma of 3.8 (95% confidence interval 1.0 to 14.6) and use for eight years or more was associated with a significantly (p less than 0.01) increased relative risk of 20.1 (2.3 to 175.7). There were no apparent increases in risk for cholangiocarcinoma. Despite the small number of cases in this study and the methodological problems in assessing use of oral contraceptives from general practitioners' notes, the results were consistent with other similar studies. Although in the United Kingdom primary liver cancer remains an exceptionally rare disease, especially in young women, further research on the role of oral contraceptives is needed in those countries where it is a much more common disease.     

Oral contraceptive use and the occurrence of pituitary prolactinoma

To determine whether prior oral contraceptive (OC) use is a risk factor for pituitary prolactinoma, we attempted to identify all women (n = 72) with a prolactinoma diagnosed between 1976 and 1980 in three counties in western Washington. A control group of 303 women was selected by dialing random telephone numbers from the same counties. Prior OC use, according to OC indication, was ascertained during a standardized telephone interview. Relative to the risk for women who had never used an OC, the risk of prolactinoma for women who had used OCs for birth control was 1.3 (95% confidence interval, 0.7 to 2.6). This risk was 7.7 for women who used OCs for menstrual regulation (95% confidence interval, 3.7 to 17.0). Previous findings of an association between OC use and prolactinoma may have resulted from OC treatment of menstrual irregularity in women with an undiagnosed prolactinoma.     

Depo medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) and combined oral contraceptives and cervical carcinoma in-situ in women aged 50 years and under

Most low-resource settings depend on hormonal contraceptives for their family planning programmes and cervical cancer occurs in higher frequency in these populations. To determine whether hormonal contraception use increases cervical carcinoma in-situ (CIS) risk, a case-control study was conducted in the Kingston and St Andrew Corporate area of Jamaica, using 119 cases from the Jamaica Tumour Registry and 304 population controls matched on year of Papanicolaou (Pap) smear and clinic where Pap smear was obtained. While CIS cases were more likely to have 'ever used' combined oral contraceptives (COC) (OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.8, 2.5), depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) use was similar. Compared to women who never used hormonal contraceptives, the risk of CIS was elevated in: women who had used COCs five years or more (OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.0, 4.6), women who first used COC for less than 10 years prior to the interview (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 0.9, 3.7) and women who were 18 to 24 years old when they first used COCs (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 0.9, 3.4). Similarly, compared to women who never used DMPA, the risk of CIS was elevated in: women using DMPA five years or more (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 0.7, 4.8), women reporting use within a year prior to interview (OR = 2.8, 95% CI: 0.7, 10.7) and women who initiated use of DMPA when they were 20 and 24 years old (OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.7, 3.1). These results suggest that if hormonal contraceptive use confers any risk of CIS, it is confined to long-term users. Increased risk in some groups, however, warrant further study.     

Oral contraceptives in acute viral hepatitis.

Thirty-four women took oral contraceptives during a major part, or throughout the course, of acute viral hepatitis. The acute illness and sequelae during the following year were compared to those of 34 matched control women with acute viral hepatitis who never took oral contraceptives. Statistical and clinical analysis showed no difference in severity of acute illness or frequency of sequelae. These findings suggest that oral contraceptives are not detrimental when taken during a course of acute viral hepatitis.     

Barrier contraceptive methods and preeclampsia

Recent investigations have suggested that women who use barrier methods of contraception may be at increased risk for preeclampsia. We used data from two prospective pregnancy studies to examine the relationship between contraceptive use before conception and preeclampsia. The preeclampsia rates among women using barrier contraceptives were not significantly higher than the rates in women using nonbarrier contraceptives or the rates in women using no contraceptives in either study. The odds ratios for preeclampsia in barrier contraceptive users in the two studies were 0.89 (95% confidence interval [Cl], 0.71 to 1.12) and 0.85 (95% Cl, 0.49 to 1.45) compared with nonbarrier contraceptive users and 0.91 (95% Cl, 0.71 to 1.16) and 0.81 (95% Cl, 0.48 to 1.35) compared with women using no contraceptives. After adjusting for other risk factors, we found no association between preeclampsia and barrier contraceptive use. Additional studies are needed to resolve this issue; however, we would recommend that women not be advised to avoid barrier contraceptives unless more data linking their use to preeclampsia appear.     

Estrogen replacement therapy and ovarian cancer mortality in a large prospective study of US women

CONTEXT: Postmenopausal estrogen use is associated with increased risk of endometrial and breast cancer, 2 hormone-related cancers. The effect of postmenopausal estrogen use on ovarian cancer is not established. OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between postmenopausal estrogen use and ovarian cancer mortality and to determine whether the association differs according to duration and recency of use. DESIGN AND SETTING: The American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study II, a prospective US cohort study with mortality follow-up from 1982 to 1996. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 211 581 postmenopausal women who completed a baseline questionnaire in 1982 and had no history of cancer, hysterectomy, or ovarian surgery at enrollment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Ovarian cancer mortality, compared among never users, users at baseline, and former users as well as by total years of use of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). RESULTS: A total of 944 ovarian cancer deaths were recorded in 14 years of follow-up. Women who were using ERT at baseline had higher death rates from ovarian cancer than never users (rate ratio [RR], 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-1.96). Risk was slightly but not significantly increased among former estrogen users (RR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.99-1.37). Duration of use was associated with increased risk in both baseline and former users. Baseline users with 10 or more years of use had an RR of 2.20 (95% CI, 1.53-3.17), while former users with 10 or more years of use had an RR of 1.59 (95% CI, 1.13-2.25). Annual age-adjusted ovarian cancer death rates per 100 000 women were 64.4 for baseline users with 10 or more years of use, 38.3 for former users with 10 or more years of use, and 26.4 for never users. Among former users with 10 or more years of use, risk decreased with time since last use reported at study entry (RR for last use <15 years ago, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.29-3.25; RR for last use >/=15 years ago, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.79-2.17). CONCLUSIONS: In this population, postmenopausal estrogen use for 10 or more years was associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer mortality that persisted up to 29 years after cessation of use.     

Ectopic pregnancy in relation to previous induced abortion

Women who were hospitalized for ectopic pregnancy in five hospitals in King County, Washington, were interviewed concerning history of induced abortion. For comparison, women who delivered a live-born child during this same time period were also interviewed. Relative to women who had never undergone an abortion, the risk in those who had was increased to a modest degree, but this increase could well have been the result of chance (relative risk, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.7 to 2.6). For women who had two or more abortions, the relative risk was 1.8 (95% confidence interval, 0.5 to 7.1). Our results suggest that legal abortion as performed during the past decade in the United States does not carry a large excess risk for future ectopic pregnancy, but larger studies will be needed in order to determine more precisely the magnitude of any excess that does exist.     

Tubal sterilization and subsequent ectopic pregnancy. A case-control study

OBJECTIVE--To assess the relative risk of ectopic pregnancy associated with postpartum or interval tubal sterilization. DESIGN--Case-control study using a comparison group of women of reproductive age at risk of pregnancy. SETTING--Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, a health maintenance organization based in Seattle, Wash. organization based in Seattle, Wash. PARTICIPANTS--Cases were 249 enrollees diagnosed as having an ectopic pregnancy between October 1, 1981, and September 30, 1986. Controls were 835 randomly selected enrollees matched to cases on age and county of residence. MEASUREMENTS--Information on interval sterilization history was obtained from interviews, examination of medical records, automated hospitalization files and a previously validated algorithm. A logistic regression model was used to estimate relative risks (RRs) for sterilized women compared with women using other types of or no contraception at the reference date. RESULTS--Controlling for age, county, race, smoking, income, gravidity, and prior use of a Dalkon Shield intrauterine device, the risk of ectopic pregnancy in women who had undergone interval sterilization was 3.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7 to 8.0) times that of women currently using oral contraception and 2.8 (95% CI, 1.5 to 5.5) times that of women currently using barrier contraceptive methods. Use of interval sterilization was associated with a risk of ectopic pregnancy similar to that of women using intrauterine devices (RR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.4 to 1.7) and a risk lower than that of women who were not using contraception (RR, 0.2; 95% CI, 0.1 to 0.3). The corresponding RRs associated with postpartum sterilization were lower: 1.2 (95% CI, 0.3 to 3.9), 0.9 (95% CI, 0.3 to 2.8), 0.3 (95% CI, 0.1 to 0.8), and 0.1 (95% CI, 0.0 to 0.2), respectively. CONCLUSION--Tubal sterilization provides some protection against extrauterine as well as intrauterine pregnancy. It is likely that postpartum sterilization can be a safe alternative to all types of temporary contraception in terms of risk of ectopic pregnancy, while some types of interval sterilization may lead to an increased risk, in comparison with use of oral contraceptives or barrier methods.     

The relationship of tubal infertility to barrier method and oral contraceptive use

We studied past contraceptive use in 283 nulliparous infertile women who had a diagnosis of tubal adhesions or occlusion and in 3833 women admitted for delivery at seven collaborating hospitals from 1981 to 1983. The relative risk of tubal infertility associated with barrier contraceptive use or oral contraceptive use was calculated using multivariate logistic regression to control for confounding by region, age, religion, education, smoking, number of sexual partners, time since menarche, and use of other contraceptive methods. Women who had ever used barrier methods of contraception were at a significantly decreased risk of tubal infertility (relative risk = 0.6; 95% confidence limits, 0.5 and 0.8). When type of barrier method used for the longest time was evaluated, those who used the diaphragm or condoms plus spermicides were at lower risk than those who used condoms or spermicides alone. Overall, past use of oral contraceptives neither increased nor decreased a woman's risk of tubal infertility, but there was evidence that the association between oral contraceptives and tubal infertility may vary by the amount of estrogen and type of progestogen in the oral contraceptive used. We conclude that contraceptive users who use barrier methods that combine both a mechanical and chemical barrier, such as diaphragms, cervical caps, and condoms plus spermicides, have the clearest protection against tubal damage.     

Breast cancer in relation to early use of oral contraceptives. No evidence of a latent effect

A long-term effect of oral contraceptives (OCs) on breast cancer risk has been suggested as an explanation for some studies' failure to detect an association between OCs and breast cancer. To address this latency hypothesis, we analyzed data on 4714 case subjects and 4540 control subjects from the population-based Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study. No support was evident for a latent effect of OCs on breast cancer risk through age 54 years: among parous women who had cumulated more than six years of OC use before their first term pregnancy, the risk of breast cancer, relative to nonusers before first term pregnancy, was 0.6 at zero to four years after first term pregnancy (95% confidence interval [Cl], 0.2 to 1.8), 0.7 at five to nine years (95% Cl, 0.3 to 1.7), and 1.1 at ten to 14 years (95% Cl, 0.3 to 3.9). Among nulliparous women with more than six years of OC use in total, the relative risk of breast cancer, by interval from last use of OCs, was 1.3 at zero to four years (95% Cl, 0.8 to 2.0), 1.1 at five to nine years (95% Cl, 0.5 to 2.0), and 0.6 at ten to 14 years (95% Cl, 0.1 to 3.7).     

Hormone replacement therapy and high S phase in breast cancer

CONTEXT: Prolonged postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with increased incidence of breast cancer and, paradoxically, reduced breast cancer mortality. The biological rationale for this discrepancy has not been explored. OBJECTIVE: To compare the prognostic characteristics of cancers arising in women who have used HRT with those in women who never have used HRT. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study from December 1989 to November 1996. SETTING: Teaching hospital in a large midwestern metropolitan area. PATIENTS: Cohort of 331 postmenopausal women who presented consecutively with 349 invasive breast cancers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Estrogen receptor (ER) status (ER positive vs ER negative) and S phase (low vs high) for current HRT users vs never users. RESULTS: The frequency of high S-phase fraction among cancers in women who were using HRT was markedly increased compared with that in women who had never used HRT (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-7.66). However, the greater frequency of high S-phase fraction was limited to women with ER-positive cancers (for HRT users vs never users, OR, 5.25; 95% CI, 1.36-20.28; for ER-negative cancers in HRT users vs never users, OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.20-5.86). CONCLUSIONS: Use of HRT appears to stimulate growth of ER-positive but not ER-negative breast cancer as measured by S-phase fraction. The prognostic significance of high S-phase fraction in current HRT users who have ER-positive tumors is unknown.     

Human immunodeficiency virus infection in urban Rwanda. Demographic and behavioral correlates in a representative sample of childbearing women

OBJECTIVE.--To determine behavioral and demographic risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in central Africa. DESIGN.--Cross-sectional survey. SETTING.--Kigali, Rwanda. PARTICIPANTS.--A representative sample of 1458 childbearing women aged 19 to 37 years who were recruited from outpatient prenatal and pediatric clinics at the only community hospital in the city. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE.--Antibodies to HIV assessed by enzyme immunoassay and confirmed by Western blot or indirect immunofluorescence. RESULTS.--The HIV seroprevalence was 32% overall. Infection rates were higher in women who were single, in those in steady relationships that began after 1981, and in the 33% of women reporting more than one lifetime sexual partner. Women in legal marriages or monogamous partnerships had lower rates of infection, but even low-risk women had prevalences on the order of 20%. History of venereal disease in the past 5 years, although the strongest risk factor in a multiple logistic analysis (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 2.0 to 3.7), was reported by only 30% of those infected. Having a male sexual partner who drank alcohol or who had higher income were significant risk factors for HIV infection in the multivariate analysis, but use of oral contraceptives and having an uncircumcised partner were not. CONCLUSIONS.--The epidemic of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in Rwanda has spread beyond high-risk groups to the general population of women without known risk factors. For most of these women, a steady male partner is the source of their HIV risk and therefore a vital target for intervention efforts.     

流产后关爱服务对流产后妇女口服避孕药使用状况的影响

目的：调查流产后关爱服务（PAC）对流产后妇女口服避孕药使用情况的影响,探讨如何促进流产后计划生育服务、降低重复流产率。方法调查2012年10月至2013年10月在我院计划生育科入院终止妊娠的妇女,流产后立即服用口服避孕药2个月。分别于出院1个月、3个月及半年后随访,了解其服药情况、后续避孕方法的选择以及有无重复流产,共随访850名妇女。结果服用2个周期者731例,占86.0%。随访妇女2个周期后避孕方法的使用情况,继续使用口服避孕药者115例（13.5%）,使用其他方法者631例（74.2%）;未采取任何避孕方式者104例（12.2%）。49.8%的妇女因为担心不良反应而不愿意选择口服避孕药为后续避孕方式。服药期间出现不良反应者15例（1.8%）,为恶心或头晕不适。6个月内意外妊娠者34例（4.0%）,再次行人工流产26例,重复流产率为3.1%。结论口服避孕药作为一种高效、安全的避孕方法,尽管非常适合绝大多数的妇女在流产后立即开始使用,但是由于对其不良反应的担心使得目前坚持使用口服避孕药的妇女比例较低。对于流产后妇女,关于避孕方法的选择和使用的咨询内容还需要细化,需要更有针对性,同时咨询要有长期性,才有利于增加妇女长期采用口服避孕药避孕的信心。     

Survivors of sexual abuse: clinical, lifestyle and reproductive consequences

BACKGROUND: In recent years, an increase in the prevalence of sexual abuse of women has been reported in Canada and elsewhere. However, there are few empirical data on the extent of the problem in Canadian aboriginal populations. The authors investigated the presence of a reported history of sexual abuse and other health determinants in a sample of women attending a community health centre with a substantial aboriginal population. This allowed determination of whether reported sexual abuse and its associated demographic and health-related effects were different for aboriginal and non-aboriginal women. METHODS: A sample of 1696 women was selected from women attending a community health centre in a predominantly low-income inner-city area of Winnipeg for a cross-sectional survey designed to study the association between sexual behavior and cervical infections. The survey was conducted between November 1992 and March 1995 and involved a clinical examination, laboratory tests and an interviewer-administered questionnaire. A substudy was conducted among 1003 women who were asked 2 questions about sexual abuse. RESULTS: The overall response rate for the main study was 87%. Of the 1003 women who were asked the questions about sexual abuse, 843 (84.0%) responded. Among the respondents, 368 (43.6%) were aboriginal. Overall, 308 (36.5%) of the respondents reported having been sexually abused, 74.0% of the incidents having occurred during childhood. The prevalence was higher among aboriginal women than among non-aboriginal women (44.8% v. 30.1%, p < 0.001). Women who had been sexually abused were younger when they first had sexual intercourse, they had multiple partners, and they had a history of sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, non-aboriginal women who had been sexually abused were more likely than those who had not been abused to have been separated or divorced, unemployed and multiparous and to have used an intrauterine device rather than oral contraceptives. Aboriginal women who had been sexually abused were more likely than those who had not been abused to have been separated or divorced, unemployed and multiparous and to have used an intrauterine device rather than oral contraceptives. Aboriginal women who had been sexually abused were more likely than those who had not been abused to have had abnormal Papanicolaou smears. The proportion of smokers was higher among the abused women than among the non-abused women in both ethnic groups. INTERPRETATION: A history of sexual abuse was associated with other clinical, lifestyle and reproductive factors. This suggests that sexual abuse may be associated with subsequent health behaviors, beyond specific physical and psychosocial disorders. Aboriginal and non-aboriginal women who have suffered sexual abuse showed substantial differences in their subsequent health and health-related behaviours.     

Malignant hypertension in women of childbearing age and its relation to the contraceptive pill

Eleven of 34 women aged 15-44 with malignant phase hypertension were taking oral contraceptives at presentation. All had had normal blood pressure before starting to take the pill. In four the interval between the start of oral contraception and the diagnosis of malignant hypertension was less than four months, and in eight no other cause for the hypertension was found. Underlying renal disease and renal failure were less common among pill users than among non-users with malignant hypertension who were of similar age. No pill user became normotensive after withdrawal of the pill, but blood pressure was well controlled (diastolic less than 90 mm Hg) in three patients taking only one drug. By contrast, all 23 non-users needed two or more antihypertensive drugs to control blood pressure. Ten year survival was 90% among pill users and 50% among non-users. These results suggest that oral contraceptives may be a common cause of malignant hypertension in women of child-bearing age. If the pill is stopped and underlying renal disease excluded the long term prognosis for such patients is excellent.