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Women’s health
Systematic review
Drospirenone-containing oral contraceptives may increase the risk of venous thromboembolism
  1. Susan S Jick
  1. Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, Boston University School of Public Health, Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
  1. Correspondence to : Dr Susan S Jick, Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, Boston University School of Public Health, 11 Muzzey Street, Lexington, MA 02421, USA; sjick{at}bu.edu

https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2013-101502

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    Commentary on: Wu CQ, Grandi SM, Filion KB, et al. Drospirenone-containing oral contraceptive pills and the risk of venous and arterial thrombosis: a systematic review. BJOG 2013;120:801–10.OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed

    Implications for practice and research

    • The risk of arterial thrombosis (AT) is very low in all oral contraceptive pills (OCPs)

    • Risks of venous thromboembolism (VTE) vary according to the progestin type

    • Drospirenone OCPs confer a higher risk of VTE than levonorgestrel OCPs

    Context

    That OCPs increase the risk of venous and arterial thrombosis has been well recognised and well researched since OCPs were first marketed. Since the earliest reporting of the high risk of VTE (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) in OCP users, the doses and formulations of both the oestrogen and progestin components of OCPs have changed, initially resulting in a decrease in the risk of thrombotic events, and later leading to differences in risk between OCPs. However, the following questions remain: what are the risks of thrombotic …

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests None.