Early reports from the Royal College of General Practitioners’ (RCGP) Oral Contraception Study is one of the world’s largest ongoing studies into the health effects of birth control pills. Although early reports from the study indicated an increased risk of death among women who had ever used oral contraception, the results of a large prospective UK cohort study revealed that oral contraception is not associated with increased long-term mortality rates. This finding was published in the March 11, 2010 issue of BMJ.

The early reports indicating an increased risk of death among women who had ever used oral contraception were mainly attributed to increased vascular events among older women or those who smoked. A later report based on 25 years of follow-up suggested that most of the mortality risk of oral contraception occurred in current or recent users, but did not persist beyond 10 years after stopping use. In the current study, the researchers wanted to see if an increased risk of death was found among women who had used oral contraception as compared to those who had never used them. Over 46,000 women were observed for up to 39 years.

The researchers found that women who had ever used oral contraception had a significantly lower rate of all-cause death versus never-users. Rates of all cancers were also significantly lower in ever-users as compared to never-users. However, in women younger than 45 years of age who had stopped using oral contraception 5 to 9 years before had an increased relative risk for death from any cause as compared with never-users.

The authors of the study believe that the clinical implications of this study for US women are similar to those for UK women; however, they caution that the balance of risks and benefits associated with oral contraception may vary around the world, depending on patterns of oral contraception usage and the prevalence of different diseases.

Source:

BMJ 2010; 340: c927.