Risk of venous thromboembolism in oral contraceptive users varies according to progestin type
- Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, Boston University School of Medicine, Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
- Correspondence to Susan S Jick
Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, Boston University School of Medicine, 1 Muzzey Street, Lexington, MA 02421, USA; sjick{at}bu.edu
Implication for practice and research
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■ Combined oral contraceptives (OCs) increase the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE).
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■ The risk of VTE in users of OCs containing desogestrel, gestodene, cyproterone and drospirenone is around twice that of levonorgestrel OCs users.
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■ Differences in VTE risk should be taken into consideration when prescribing OCs.
Context
Oral contraceptives first introduced in the 1960s contained high doses of estrogen and progestin. These were associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including VTE, and high estrogen dose was thought to be responsible.1 In subsequent years, OCs containing lower estrogen doses and different …
