There is some indication that oral contraceptive use may be associated with a small increase in risk of invasive breast cancer; however, oral contraceptive use in relation to breast carcinoma in situ (BCIS) has rarely been studied. We investigated oral contraceptive use in relation to risk of BCIS in a large population-based case-control study. Female residents of Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and ...

The range of contraceptive options and consumer awareness of new contraceptive methods have both increased significantly over the past 10 years. New methods available in Australia include lower-dose oral contraceptive pills, new oral progestogens, progestogen implants, a progestogen-bearing intrauterine device and polyurethane female condoms. Contraceptive options which may soon be introduced i...

Venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) represent a serious complication related to hormonal contraception and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Evidence on hormonal contraceptive- and HRT-related VTEs is derived almost exclusively from observational studies and points to a 2- to 6-fold increased relative risk of VTEs with either therapy. Oral contraceptive pills that contain third-generation prog...

Oral contraceptives are the most popular reversible method of contraception in the United States. Although most women using oral contraceptives are reliably protected against pregnancy, nearly half of the 3 million unintended pregnancies in the United States annually occur among the 90% of women who use contraception. Recent findings suggest that obesity may reduce the biologic effectiveness of...

Oral contraceptives are the most popular reversible method of contraception in the United States. Although most women using oral contraceptives are reliably protected against pregnancy, nearly half of the 3 million unintended pregnancies in the United States annually occur among the 90% of women who use contraception. Recent findings suggest that obesity may reduce the biologic effectiveness of...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate physician and pharmacist knowledge on potential drug interactions between combined oral contraceptives (COC) and broad-spectrum antibiotics and determine if any difference exists between responses. METHODS Two hundred licensed retail pharmacists and 200 licensed family practice physicians in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland were mailed an anonymous sur...

We review recent evidence that suggests that hormonal contraceptives may influence the dynamics of sexual relationships and the human pair-bond. Hormonal contraception likely has positive effects on cementing the pair-bond by decoupling sex from conception. However, changes in women’s evolved mate preferences associated with initiation or discontinuation of hormonal contraception may alter attr...

It has been shown [in the research results published in the Lancet on 8 October] in the RCGP study population that oral contraceptive users compared with non-users have an increased risk of 1 per 5000 per year of dying from cardiovascular disease. This risk is concentrated, however, in women over the age of 35 years, especially if they smoke cigarettes and have used oral contraceptives continuo...

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 ...

Because of social, political, financial, or legal reasons, many contraceptive methods have been removed from the contraceptive armamentarium, sometimes almost as quickly as they were introduced. The original subdermal implant, a monthly intramuscular injection containing medroxyprogesterone acetate and estradiol cypionate, and a multitude of intrauterine devices have all been withdrawn from the...