It has been shown that the gestagen component of oral contraceptives changes the composition of the cervical mucus so as to make sperm penetration difficult. Endometrial changes and changes in the normal patterns of tubal and uterine motility have been described. Ovulation is inhibited by inhibition of ovarian response to gonadotrophins or by inhibition of the formation and/or release of endo...

I argue that opposition to contraception is not made any less implausible by the application of the Doctrine of Double Effect, as for example in the case of the recent argument according to which double effect can be deployed to make the prescription of Combined Oral Contraceptives compatible with Catholic teachings. I argue that opposition to contraception is not made any less implausible by t...

While venous thromboembolism (VTE) is rare in young women of reproductive age, combined oral contraceptives increase the risk of VTE. In the patient in whom combined hormonal contraception is appropriate, it is reasonable to use any currently available preparation.

Data on the return of fertility after discontinuing various methods of contraception were collected from among the women taking part in the Oxford-Family Planning Association contraceptive study. Return of fertility was measured as the time taken to give birth to a child. The fertility of both nulligravid and parous women who stopped taking oral contraceptives was initially impaired in comparis...

Vitamin-A levels have been determined in healthy non-pregnant women and in women taking synthetic steroids to suppress ovulation. A significant increase has been found in those receiving oral contraceptives. Further work is necessary to determine whether this may affect the fetus in patients who become pregnant shortly after discontinuing oral contraception.

Evidence suggests that females experience adaptive shifts in facial preferences across the menstrual cycle. However, recent discussions and meta-analyses suggest that these findings are equivocal. A previously unexplored question is the extent to which shifts in female preferences are modulated by hormone-dependent changes occurring in low-level vision, such as visual sensitivity. This mechanis...

We sought to determine whether oral contraception alters the gender-related differences observed in the exercise pressor reflex during isometric handgrip exercise. Fifteen men, fifteen normally menstruating women (WomenNM), and fifteen women taking monophasic oral contraceptives (WomenOC) completed two trials of a 3-min isometric handgrip exercise protocol performed at 30% of their maximal volu...

One thousand eight non-pregnant women aged 16-34 years, presenting for the first time at a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases (STD), were examined and screened for infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Candida species. The respective prevalence rates were 21.1%, 20.7%, 13.4%, and 27.8%. Isolation rates for C trachomatis, either occurring a...

OBJECTIVES to identify the knowledge of users of combined oral contraceptive about correct use, side effects and complications; to verify the correlation between knowledge about the method with age, education, family income and time of use. METHOD cross-sectional study performed in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, from March to July 2010, with 294 women. Data were collected through interviews. RES...