Beyond Birth Control: Noncontraceptive Benefits of Hormonal Methods and Their Key Role in the General Medical Care of Women

Sarina Schrager, Schrager S, Larson M, Magnolia Larson, Carlson J, Jensena Carlson, Ledford K, Kathryn Ledford, Deborah B. Ehrenthal
Journal of women's health (2002) · 2020 · vol. 29(7) , pp. 937–943 · doi:10.1089/jwh.2019.7731 · PMID:32155101 · W3011579154
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 3 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

Hormonal contraceptives containing estrogen and/or progestins are effective for pregnancy prevention and offer significant noncontraceptive benefits, including cancer prevention and treatment for conditions like endometriosis, fibroids, and migraines.

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Abstract

Contraceptives that contain estrogen and/or progestins are used by millions of women around the world to prevent pregnancy. Owing to their unique physiological mechanism of action, many of these medications can also be used to prevent cancer and treat multiple general medical conditions that are common in women. We performed a comprehensive literature search. This article will describe the specific mechanisms of action and summarize the available data documenting how hormonal contraceptives can prevent ovarian and uterine cancer and be used to treat women with a variety of gynecological and nongynecological conditions such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, heavy menstrual bleeding, polycystic ovary syndrome, acne, and migraines. Contraceptive methods containing estrogen and progestin can be used for a wide variety of medical issues in women.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal Endometriosis Estrogens Ovarian Neoplasms Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Progestins Uterine Neoplasms Adult Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal Endometriosis Estrogens Female Humans Middle Aged Ovarian Neoplasms Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Progestins Reproductive Health Uterine Neoplasms

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