Extended Follow-Up Provides Further Reassurance About OCs

Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, MD, MS

All-cause mortality is not higher with oral contraceptive use.

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are used by millions of women worldwide, yet some remain concerned about the safety of OCs. To assess whether OCs affect women's overall and cause-specific mortality, investigators analyzed data collected between 1976 and 2012 from 121,701 participants in the Nurses' Health Study, 48% of whom had ever used OCs.

In both unadjusted and fully adjusted models, no association was observed between OC use and all-cause mortality. Longer duration of OC use lowered ovarian cancer mortality but was associated with increased risk for breast cancer and violent death.

Citation(s):

Charlton BM et al. Oral contraceptive use and mortality after 36 years of follow-up in the Nurses' Health Study: prospective cohort study. BMJ 2014 Oct 31; 349:g6356.