Previous discussions have indicated that the small increases of risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) associated with newer combined oral contraceptives (third generation, containing desogestrel and gestodene) may be attributed to bias due to cohort effects. In a case-control analysis, this may produce an overestimate of risk of newer preparations. In 10 centres in Germany and the UK, the Transn...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the changes in haemostasis in the three months immediately after stopping the combined contraceptive pill. DESIGN Prospective randomised study. SETTING Family planning centre in London. SUBJECTS 24 women aged 35-45 investigated before, during, and after six months' use of combined oral contraceptives containing 30 micrograms ethinyl oestradiol together with the pr...

CONTEXT The association between combined oral contraceptives (OC) and the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) has been intensively studied, and conclusions are controversial. While progestogen-only contraceptives (POC) are commonly used worldwide, their impact on cardiovascular diseases is poorly investigated and remains unclear. OBJECTIVE We carried out a meta-analysis based on EMBASE- and ME...

BACKGROUND Ethinyl estradiol (EE) increases endothelium-dependent vasodilation in young women, but certain progestins paired with EE in combination oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) have been shown to antagonize the vasodilatory effects of EE. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how endothelial function, serum biomarkers and resting blood pressures change across an OCP cycle i...

On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space. His 2-hour voyage aboard the Vostok 3KA-2 definitively demonstrated that humans could survive in space. In the 55 years since Gagarin’s historic flight, hundreds of astronauts and cosmonauts have travelled into space, mankind has visited the moon and it is now realistic to believe that a manned mission to Mars will comm...

Community-based services (CBS) have long used checklists to determine eligibility for contraceptive method use, in particular for combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and the 3-month injectable contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA). As safety information changes, however, checklists can quickly become outdated. Inconsistent checklists and eligibility criteria often cause uneven ...

BACKGROUND The incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) is rising in women. OBJECTIVE To determine whether the use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) are associated with MS risk and whether this varies by progestin content. METHODS We conducted a nested case-control study of females ages 14-48 years with incident MS or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) 2008-2011 from the membership of Kais...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate whether the day of ovulation and the duration of a pretreatment cycle were related to the degree of follicular growth during subsequent contraceptive treatment. METHODS This randomized, open-label study was performed in 40 healthy female volunteers, who were randomized by a computer-generated list after stratification for the ovulation day i...

In October 1995, following advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the Department of Health issued a press release concerning the use of seven brands of combined oral contraceptive pills. All pills carry an increased risk of venous thromboembolic events," though the absolute risk is low and considerably less than the health risks associated with an unwanted pregnancy or abortion. Rece...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the motivators and barriers to the use of the combined oral contraceptive pill among Hong Kong women. METHODS The Family Planning Association of Hong Kong commissioned the ESDlife to launch an online survey and invited its female members aged 18 to 45 years who had used contraceptives in the past 12 months to participate in this survey. The online survey was posted on th...