Use of oral contraceptives is not associated with increased risk of death in the UK; a net benefit in all-cause mortality was seen in ever users versus never users – RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.93
- School of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Correspondence to Jane Clarke
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand; j.clarke{at}auckland.ac.nz
The combined oral contraceptive pill (OCP) was first used in 1956 in Puerto Rico and is frequently referred to as ‘the Pill’. It is a combination of oral oestrogen and a progestin (progestogen) taken for contraception by over 100 million women worldwide. The OCPs were perceived as a convenient, effective and reversible means of contraception. Ever since OCPs were first introduced, their relative safety has been the focus of much debate.1 Concerns are derived from the influences that these hormone-based therapies are used upon a …
