Contraception

The combined progestogen/estrogen oral contraceptive is the most common form of contraception in the US. They contain 1 of 5 synthetic progestogens (derived from 19-nortestosterone) and 1 of 2 estrogens. 3 new progestin compounds are in use in Europe and Asia. They are norgestimate, desogestrel, and gestodene. Estrogen seems to cause vascular complications. Progestin may cause atherosclerosis. Desogestrel and gestodene were studied for 6 months. They have little effect on glucose and lipid metabolism. Triphasal ethinyl estradiol/levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol/norethindrone (Ortho Novum 7/7/7) were compared in a 12-month prospective clinical trial. There seems to be no consensus of a pattern of increased breast cancer associated with oral contraceptive use. The UK National Case Control Study Group analyzed women younger than 36 years at the time breast cancer was diagnosed. 91% of their cohort had used pills. A significant trend was found when risk was analyzed with duration of taking pills. Women who had taken the pill for 4 years had no increased risk of breast cancer. However, there was an increased relative risk of 1.7 (P0.001) for women who took pills for more than 8 years. Among women using the pill for 8 years, the relative risk was 2.6 (p0.0001). AMong women using pills with 50 ug. of estrogen, the trend to increased risk was (P0.10). The 1988 National Survey of adolescent males showed that 60% of men never married were active sexually. Among 17- to 19-year-old-men who live in metropolitan areas, condom use has more than doubled, compared with 1979. In 1988, a "new" copper-containing IUD was approved for use in the US by the Food and Drug Administration, the Copper T 380 A. Pregnancy rates are less with this than with older devices. IUDs may cause pelvic inflammatory disease with resulting tubal infertility. However, the risk was overstated earlier. Women who have only 1 sexual partner in their lifetime had no significant risk of tubal infertility. "lost" IUDs continue to be a problem.     

Contraception and dyslipidemia

The risks of cardiovascular disease associated with dyslipidemia differ in women and men, being more strongly associated with trig lyceride/high-density lipoprotein in middle-aged women than in men. Although the incidence of heart disease is lower in women because they live longer, over a lifetime, cardiovascular disease in women is equal to that in men, with the greatest incidence after age 65 years. Major coronary events are rare among reproductive-age women who use oral contraceptives and are related to the concomitant effects of age, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Low estrogen-progestin dose oral contraceptives appear not to promote cardiovascular disease and can be used in women with controlled cholesterol elevations. Alternative contraceptive measures should be considered for patients with severe uncontrolled hypercholesterolemia or a lipid disorder that carries a high risk of coronary heart disease. In these conditions, thrombotic propensity associated with supraphysiologic doses of estrogen in oral contraceptives might accelerate coronary thrombosis should an arteriosclerotic plaque rupture. Treatment of hypercholesterolemia should follow the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program and emphasize hygienic measures. Contraceptive selection in hyperlipidemic patients should reflect a balance between the risks-and their management-of developing cardiovascular disease versus the risks of pregnancy. (AM J O8sTET GYNECOL 1993;168:1994-2005.)     

Contraception and lactation

The benefits of breastfeeding for both the infant and the mother are undisputed. Longer intervals between births decrease fetal/infant and maternal complications. Lactation is an effective contraceptive for the first 6 months postpartum only if women breastfeed exclusively and at regular intervals, including nighttime. Because a high percentage of women in the United States supplement breastfeeding, it is important for these women to choose a method of contraception to prevent unintended pregnancies. Both the method of contraception and the timing of the initiation of contraceptives are important decisions that a clinician must help the breastfeeding woman make. Ideally, the chosen method of contraception should not interfere with lactation. This article reviews the research on the effect of contraceptives, including hormonal contraceptives, on lactation.     

Smoking and Contraception

Efforts by governments and public health bodies largely have been unable to reduce cigarette consumption by Canadians. Women who smoke (29% of women in the reproductive years) have reduced fertility and an increased risk of short-term and long-term cardiovascular disease. Women who have used oral contraceptive preparations in the past appear to have no increased cardiovascular risk, but current users carry an increased risk of thrombosis. The degree of risk is proportional to the estrogen dose of the preparation used. Women who smoke cigarettes and concurrently use oral contraceptives increase their risk of myocardial infarction beyond that of using either agent alone; the risk is increased in heavier smokers and in women over age 35. There is no effect of smoking on other forms of contraception.     

Contraception and hepatogastroenterology

Complications of oral contraceptives (OCs) affecting the gastrointestinal tract, liver and pancreas are rare but potentially serious. Hepatobiliary complications are by far the most frequent and varied. Hepatic lesions will probably decline in frequency as low-dose OCs replace higher dosed pills. Intrahepatic cholestasis induced by OCs resembles that of pregnancy. There may be a genetic predisposition to both conditions involving a dose-dependent estrogen effect of decreasing bile secretion. Intrahepatic cholestasis appears within 6 cycles of OC use. Symptoms include pruritus with anorexia, asthenia, vomiting, and weight loss without fever, rash or abdominal pain. Termination of OCs clears the condition without sequelae within 1-3 months, sometimes after a temporary aggravation. A moderate and asymptomatic cytolysis may appear when OC treatment is begun. Sinusoidal dilatation has been conclusively linked to OCs although few cases have been published. Clinical manifestations other than hepatomegaly are variable. Abdominal pain and fever are the most common. The condition is not related to duration of use and disappears 5-15 days after OC use is terminated. The relative risk of Budd-Chiari syndrome in OC users is estimated at 2.37. OCs increase the prevalence of hepatic adenomas as a function of duration of treatment. They are usually discovered fortuitously but may be revealed by vague abdominal pains. Hemorrhagic complications are more likely in OC users. It may be difficult to distinguish between adenomas, hepatocellular carcinoma, and focal nodular hyperplasia. A puncture biopsy guided by sonography may aid diagnosis. The natural history of adenomas is poorly understood and treatment remains controversial. OCs do not appear to increase the risk of focal nodular hyperplasia but they increase the size of the tumor and the risk of hemorrhage. OCs should be terminated because of risk of hemorrhage. Surgical resection is not indicated unless there are complication or diagnostic doubts. While hepatocellular carcinoma is very rare, its risk is increased by a factor of 7-20 in women using OCs for 8 years or more. Use of combined OCs appears to speed development of lithiasis in predisposed women. Risk of lithiasis is linked to estrogen content in women under 30. Several cases of acute pancreatitis in the 1st 3 months of treatment have been reported in women with preexisting lipid metabolic anomalies. Cases of ischemic lesions of the small intestine or colon have been reported in OC users with A positive blood type. Such lesions can be fatal without early diagnosis and termination of OCs. Gastric esophageal reflux is increased by progestins. Preexisting constipation may be aggravated and the incidence of Crohn's disease increased by OCs. It is advisable to rule out preexisting hepatic pathology before prescribing OCs. OCs should be stopped in case of viral hepatitis.     

Contraception and mental hygiene

All requests for contraception must take into account the mental hygiene of the potential child. Therefore contraception or abortion are procedures that afford preventive care for the future or imagined child. An example cited was a woman who conceived her 4th child out of wedlock without having used contraception. She made an appointment for an abortion, but changed her mind. The labor was complicated by ineffective contractions, and had to be terminated by Caesarean section because of fetal distress.     

Contraception and breast cancer

The role of oral contraceptives in the development of breast cancer has given rise and still gives rise to many debates, accentuated by the economic and social impact of contraception. Several problems can the brought forward: can oral contraceptives (OC) play a role in the development of breast cancer? Can they aggravate it? Can they prevent it? We have various means at our disposal to help us in answering those difficult questions: fundamental studies, mechanisms of action of steroid hormones in the development of the mammary gland, comprehension of the mechanisms of carcinogenesis, epidemiological studies which enable us to define the notion of relative risk. At present, there is no emergence of the notion of an aggravation of the risk of breast cancer linked with the intake of oral contraceptives. However, it must be reminded that the use of oral contraceptives is still recent if we take into account the existence of a latency period before an eventual harmful effect appears and the fact that the oestro-progestative compositions have been greatly modified in those last few years. However, the present studies are centred on the populations said to be "at risk". The results of studies on women who have taken an OC before their first pregnancy or before the age of 25 still remain contradictory. Those of women with a family history of breast cancer or hyperplastic lesions are reassuring but need to be confirmed. Finally, a protective effect of a contraceptive composition is yet to be demonstrated.     

Contraception and society.

When an idea meets the exigencies of an epoch, it becomes stronger than any form of political power and it becomes the common property of humankind. Such an idea was the development of contraceptives. In retrospect, the invention of contraceptives was as fundamental for the evolution of humankind as the invention of the wheel; today more than 550 million couples are using contraceptive methods. The large-scale use of contraceptives triggered the most powerful social revolutions of a century in reproductive health and gender equity, and substantially contributed to an unparalleled demographic change, characterized by a rapid aging of populations. One of the important reasons for population aging is a significant decline in fertility rates, resulting in gradually changing population structures with fewer and fewer children and more and more elderly persons. The causes underlying these demographic changes are complex and manifold; they reflect major societal changes of historical dimensions. Many of our institutions cater increasingly for a population structure that no longer exists. There is therefore an increasing need for institutional reforms in social security, health care, housing and education. In addition, several surveys conducted in the developed world have indicated an erosion of confidence in our basic institutions, e.g. courts and justice, the Church and Parliament. Whereas modem sociologists are concerned about an increase in crime, decrease in trust and depleted social capital, one can also observe an accelerated perception of our global destiny and a re-awakening of the moral impulse with a strong demand for increased transparency in public affairs. Also, various global communities have assumed a growing importance. It can be predicted that international professional communities, such as the European Society of Contraception, will play an increasingly important future role in influencing policies in general and health policies in particular. because of their profound commitment to the improvement of the human condition by the judicious use of new scientific information.     

Contraception and Adolescent Pregnancy

To identify reasons for increasing numbers of pregnant adolescents, questionnaires were distributed to teenagers with unplanned pregnancies to determine the level of their knowledge of contraception. Findings revealed that 94% of the subjects had an adequate knowledge of availability, while only 43% had an adequate overall knowledge of contraception. Subjects reported many misconceptions about contraceptives and a general lack of motivation concerning contraceptive use.