[Favorable effects and unwanted side effects of hormonal contraceptives].

A wealth of data was produced about the effects of oral contraceptives (OCs) by the US Walnut-Creek Contraceptive Drug Study by the British Royal College of General Practitioners Oral Contraceptive Study (RCGP) and by the British Oxford University Family Planning Association Study. Beneficial effects include the prevention of iron deficiency anemia as a consequence of the antiestrogenic effect of gestagens. The RCGP study indicated a relative risk (RR) of .52 for hypermenorrhea .65 for menstrual cycle disorders and .72 for spotting. Endometriosis is inhibited and acne and seborrhea are improved. Breast diseases are less frequent: the annual reduction of hospital admissions was 235/100000 OC users in the US. Ovarial cysts also decrease. Ovarial cancer drops by 40% and endometrial cancer by 50% according to the Centers for Disease Control. Infectious disease of the internal genital organs also diminish by 59% in OC users even when the higher incidence of chlamydia positive cervicitis is taken into account. Ectopic pregnancies are also less frequent. Undesired effects include cardiovascular (CV) ailments: thromboses pulmonary embolism myocardial infarction cerebral vessel pathologies and hypertension. Coronary vessel pathologies and hypertension. Coronary diseases among women 35 the risk factors increase for hypertension diabetes or hyperlipidemia. These risks are mitigated if combination pills with an estrogen content of 30 (3-4 cases of nodular hyperplasia and adenoma/100000 OC users). The incidence of gall bladder inflammation and cholelithiasis is estimated at 74 hospital admissions per 100000 users in the US. In is imperative that physicians provide responsible counselling to women with follow-up in order to preclude these risks and to detect the predisposing factors of potential complications.