Oral contraceptives and hepatocellular carcinoma

A series of 26 white women aged under 50 who developed hepatocellular carcinoma in a non-cirrhotic liver were studied for the possible role of oral contraceptives. Eighteen of the women had used the "pill" for a median of eight years. Over 1300 women whose use of the pill had been determined in another study served as controls. Patients and controls were divided into five age and four calendar groups and the relative risks associated with oral contraceptives calculated by multivariate analysis. Short term use of the pill was not associated with an increased risk of tumour development; nevertheless, use for eight years or more was associated with a 4.4-fold increased risk (p less than 0.01). When patients with markers of hepatitis B virus infection were excluded the relative risk was 7.2 (p less than 0.01). In both instances the absolute risk for developing hepatoma remained low.     

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.     

Vitamin A,pregnancy, and oral contraceptives

It has been shown that women receiving oral contraceptives have increased levels of serum vitamin A. High vitamin A levels may constitute a teratogenic hazard. Women who conceive soon after discontinuing oral contraceptive therapy may be especially at risk to this hazard. An increase in vitamin A levels in women taking oral contraceptives has been confirmed. During early pregnancy there is no significant difference in vitamin A levels between women who have recently been taking oral contraceptives and those who have not. The authors were not able to demonstrate that either taking oral contraceptives shortly before pregnancy or a high vitamin A level during the first trimester of pregnancy, comparable to that of a woman taking oral contraceptives, has any detrimental effect on the outcome of pregnancy. It seems unlikely that women conceiving soon after discontinuing oral contraceptive, has any detrimental effect on the outcome of pregnancy. It seems unlikely that women conceiving soon after discontinuing oral contraceptive therapy run any teratogenic risk from increased vitamin A levels.     

Use of oral contraceptives by women with epilepsy

Oral contraceptives have not been associated with exacerbation of epilepsy despite warnings in package inserts. No clinical study has provided scientific evidence of worsening of seizures in epileptic women who use oral contraceptives, and improvement in seizure control has occurred in some cases. The main concern about use of oral contraceptives in this population is their effectiveness in preventing conception. Failure rates are higher in groups of women taking enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs. The degree of increased metabolism of estrogen and progestin components is highly variable and unpredictable among individuals. Use of higher doses increases protection against conception but also increases the risk of side effects, particularly in patients in whom no enzyme induction occurs. The strength of hormones in the pill should be selected individually when initiating use. Some women may require higher doses for full contraceptive effect.     

Oral contraceptives: effect of folate and vitamin B12 metabolism.

Women who use oral contraceptives have impaired folate metabolism as shown by slightly but significantly lower levels of folate in the serum and the erythrocytes and an increased urinary excretion of formiminoglutamic acid. The vitamin B12 level in their serum is also significantly lower than that of control groups. However, there is no evidence of tissue depletion of vitamin B12 associated with the use of oral contraceptives. The causes and clinical significance of the impairment of folate and vitamin B12 metabolism in these women is discussed in this review of the literature. Clinicians are advised to ensure that women who shop taking "the pill" because they wish to conceive have adequate folate stores before becoming pregnant.     

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 contraceptives use and liver tumours: a review

Of the nine epidemiologic controlled studies reporting on the relationship between oral contraceptives use and hepatic tumours, three have findings specifically on the association of oral contraceptives use and hepatocellular adenomas. The strength of this association is reported to be dependent more on long-term oral contraceptive use. Three other studies have reported similar relationships of oral contraceptives use with hepatocellular carcinoma, whereas the remaining three other studies have reported no association between oral contraceptives use and hepatocellular carcinoma. There is however, an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma as the duration of oral contraceptives use increases. The risk of developing hepatocellular adenomas is higher in oral contraceptives users over 30 years of age than in the younger age groups. These tumours occur more often in oral contraceptive users taking pills with high doses of estrogens and progestogens; while they are not only associated with oral contraceptives containing mestranol, but also those containing ethinylestradiol.     

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 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.     

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.     

Serum copper in rural women taking combined oral contraceptive

This prospective case-control study included 78 women between 15 to 45 years of age from rural area to see changes in serum copper level as a consequence of oral contraceptive use. Among the subjects, 34 women were included as controls because of not taking any form of hormonal contraceptives neither during the time of selection nor during one-year period prior to the study. Women in the control group were motivated to consume oral pill (Sukhi) for 3 consecutive cycles. At the 3(rd) month, 25 such women became available and henceforth included as cases on longitudinal basis. Another 44 women were randomly selected as cases on the basis of using combined oral contraceptives (Sukhi) for a duration of 4 months onwards. Considering different duration of oral contraceptive (OC) use, subjects were grouped as follows: Group I (n=34)--> controls, Group II (n=25)--> 3 months, Group III (n=17)--> 4 months - 2 years and Group IV (n=27)--> >2 years. Finally, 103 samples of blood (34 from controls and 69 from oral contraceptives users) were collected for estimation of Serum Copper (mgm/dl) by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry using UNICAM-AA Spectrometer. Mean+/-SD of Serum Copper significantly increased in all 3 contraceptive groups in comparison to controls (p<0.001). Further study including larger population from rural area was recommended to see correlation among serum copper and other trace elements with side effects of hormonal contraceptives. This preliminary study tried to explore the possibility of establishing biochemical monitoring of serum trace elements in OC users.     

Ovarian neoplasms, functional ovarian cysts, and oral contraceptives

The incidence of ovarian neoplasms and functional ovarian cysts diagnosed at laparotomy or laparoscopy among the 17,000 women taking part in the Oxford Family Planning Association contraceptive study was investigated. Epithelial cancer of the ovary was only 25% as common among those who had ever taken oral contraceptives as those who had never done so (95% confidence interval 8% to 67%). There was little evidence of any important association between use of oral contraceptives and benign teratoma or cystadenoma. Functional cysts of the ovary occurred much less commonly in women who had recently (in the six months preceding diagnosis) taken combined oral contraceptives (but not in those who had taken progestogen only oral contraceptives) than in those who had never taken oral contraceptives or had taken them in the past. This protective effect was more pronounced for corpus luteum cysts (78% reduction; 95% confidence interval 47% to 93%) than for follicular cysts (49% reduction; 95% confidence interval 20% to 70%). It is estimated that about 28 (95% confidence interval 16 to 35) operations for functional ovarian cysts are avoided among every 100,000 women who take oral contraceptives each year.     

Glycemic status in women using combined oral contraceptive pill

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of low-dose combined oral contraceptives(OCs) containing 30 gm Ethinyl estradiol with 150 microg Levonorgestrel on carbohydrate metabolism by a glycaemic variable -- fasting blood glucose level. It is now known that impairment of carbohydrate metabolism is a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease and other metabolic disorder. Sixty women age between 15-35 years using OCs served as experimental group and thirty age matched hormonal contraceptive non users were selected for control group. Experimental group was again subdivided into OCP (Oral contraceptive pill) users for last one year group, three year group and five year group. The result showed that there were no significant differences on blood glucose level between users and non-users women. It is concluded that the cyclic administration of monophasic low dose OCs did not altered blood glucose levels and there by have no additional adverse impact on women health reaffirming the ongoing oral contraceptive pill distribution program.     

Relationship between Contraceptive Knowledge, Cognition and Behaviors among Vocational High School Students

Rise in prevalence rate of sexual activity among middle/high school students have gone with decline in age of sex initiation in recent years. Due to special training purposes and characteristics of student resources, most vocational high school students s…     

Political constraints on contraceptive development in the United States

In the US there is a great need for new contraceptives because the current available choices are too limited. Many groups of women, teenagers, women over 40 and lactating mothers have even greater need because of their special requirement. There are 6 million annual pregnancies in the US, 50% of them are unintended. This is the highest percentage of unintended pregnancies in the developed world with Canada having only 39%, the UK 32%, and the Netherlands 17%. 46% of women can expect to have at least 1 unintended pregnancy in their lifetime. Almost half of these unintended pregnancies end in abortion. Of those seeking abortion, 26% are under 20 and 81% are under 30. 69% are white and 82% are single. 49% of these women reported not using contraception when they conceived. Even when a woman uses contraceptives she is still exposed to the risk of contraceptive failure. These failure rates vary from 5-30% for the pill to spermicides. Over a 10-year period the rate climbs to 25-50% for the pill or the IUD. In the US, contraceptives are the most expensive with the pill selling for 60 times what is costs for similar formulations in other countries. Norplant and IUDs, the most reliable reversible methods cost hundreds of dollars and thus make them unavailable for teenagers and poor women who need them most. The primary benefit of increased contraceptive prevalence (CP) is a reduction in the number of unwanted pregnancies and thus abortions. The CP rate for married women of reproductive age in the us is 66%, compared to 73% in Canada, 83% in the UK, 78% in Sweden, and 72% in the Netherlands. The reason new methods are not being developed are multiple: fear of product liability litigation; fear of poor product sales due to public fear; regulation and market pressures that simply do not make them profitable. It can take 12 years and $200 million to develop a new drug and US patents only last 17 years. Thus in order to make a profit the company must have a high rate of sales. Changes in the approval process and financial incentives similar to those for orphan drugs could bring new methods to market.     

Estrogen and coronary heart disease in women

We review herein the evidence that estrogen is protective against the development of cardiovascular disease in women. To our knowledge, no studies in women have looked at endogenous estrogen levels as predictors of cardiovascular disease. Studies of surrogate measures of endogenous estrogen such as parity, age at menarche, and age at menopause have provided inconsistent results. Current use of oral contraceptives increases risk in older women who smoke cigarettes, but most studies of past use show no increased risk. Most, but not all, studies of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women show around a 50% reduction in risk of a coronary event in women using unopposed oral estrogen. These important observations need to be confirmed in a double-blind, randomized clinical trial, since the protection is biologically plausible and the magnitude of the benefit would be quite large if selection factors can be excluded.     

Oral contraceptives, pregnancy, and endogenous oestrogen in gall stone disease--a case-control study

A case-control study of gall stone disease in women in relation to use of contraceptives, reproductive history, and concentrations of endogenous hormones was undertaken. The study population comprised 200 hospital patients with newly diagnosed gall stone disease, 182 individually matched controls selected from the community, and 234 controls who were patients in hospital. Use of oral contraceptives was associated with an increased risk of developing gall stones among young subjects but a decreased risk among older subjects. The risk of developing gall stone disease increased in association with increasing parity, particularly among younger women. The risk fell with increasing age at first pregnancy, independent of parity. Mean urinary excretion over 24 hours of oestrone, but not of pregnanediol, was significantly (p less than 0.05) greater for postmenopausal patients than controls. The age dependence of the relative risk associated with exposure to oral contraceptives and pregnancy suggests that there are subpopulations of women susceptible to early formation of gall stones after exposure to either oral contraceptives or pregnancy.     

Adolescents' compliance with the use of oral contraceptives

To elucidate the factors that might influence compliance with oral contraceptive use among sexually active adolescents, we undertook a study of 209 unmarried adolescents initiating use of oral contraceptives in three different settings: an inner-city adolescent clinic, a birth control clinic in a midsized industrial city, and a suburban private practice. At the three-month follow-up visit, factors associated with compliance included older age, suburban residence, white race, health care in the suburban private practice, payment status, prior use of contraception, mother's unawareness of oral contraceptives, married parents, older boyfriend, lack of worry about being pregnant, and satisfaction with pill use. Compliance at long-term follow-up (13.5 +/- 3.7 months) was additionally associated with educational goals, father's education level, and absence of side effects. Ten pregnancies occurred during the study period among noncompliant site I patients. Inner-city clinic patients were at high risk of noncompliance and unplanned pregnancy.     

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。