CONTENTS
- Background
- Oral Contraceptive Use
- Benefits of Oral Contraceptives
- Health Risks of Oral Contraceptives
- Unresolved Health Issues
- Emergency Contraceptive Pills
- A Practical Guide to ECP
HIGHLIGHTS
- Progestin-only is best pill during breastfeeding
- Many women have used the pill
- Method mix changes as contraceptive use grows
- Some cancers prevented
- Lower doses reduce circulatory disease risk
- Perspectives clearer on persistent health issues
Spring, 2000
Series A, Number 9
Oral Contraceptives
Modern oral contraceptives are safe for the great majority of women. The health risks of using OCs are much less than the risks of pregnancy and childbearing for almost all women, especially in countries with high maternal mortality rates. Even where maternal mortality is low, pill use is safer than childbearing except for older women who smoke or have high blood pressure (130, 332, 337). Today, with the lower doses in modern pills, the risks of a number of medical conditions appear to be lower than in the past. Also, recent large studies have made it possible to assess the health risks of long-term OC use more accurately and to better identify the groups most likely to experience them.
A major finding of the last decade is the increased risk of heart attack and stroke for older OC users with hypertension. For OC users who do not smoke and do not have high blood pressure, however, the low doses in today's pills appear to minimize these risks.
The major established health risks of OCs are certain circulatory system diseases, particularly heart attack, stroke, and venous thromboembolism. Other health risks include gallbladder disease in women already susceptible to it and rare noncancerous liver tumors. In addition, users and providers of OCs should be aware of possible interactions between OCs and other drugs that might make OCs less effective or modify the effects of the other drugs.
 Jamaican National Family Planning Board |
| Modern oral contraceptives are safe for the great majority of women. The health risks of using OCs are much less than the risks of pregnancy and childbearing for almost all women, especially in countries with high maternal mortality rates. This Jamaican poster points to high effectiveness and few side effects with low-dose oral contraceptives. |
