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Oral contraceptives are once more holding the spotlight as a new study reveals new generations are responsible for blood clotting.
Two studies coming from the United Kingdom are drawing an alarm signal on the potential negative impact that oral contraceptives might be posing to women from 15 to 49 year of age.
Oral contraceptive are changing with the times. Generation after generation have a different combination of hormones that makes up the pills.
In the 1960s when they first hit the market, it was also allegated that the high levels of estrogen would undoubtely increase the risk of developing venous thromboembolism or VTE.
The same discussion persists today. According to the new UK studies, nothing is definitive on the matter. The statistical observations they made are not rooted in medical observations as well. At least that is what critics say.
According to Yana Vinogradova from University Park in Nottingham, oral contraceptives intake relevantly increases the risk of VTE. Women who did not use oral contraceptives for at least one year have significantly lower risk level of blood clots.
At the same time, generational contraceptive pills are linked with different risk ratios. From the hype they experienced back in their days, older generation oral contraceptives are now proved to increase the risk of VTE only 2.5 times compared to the control group that has never used the contraceptive method, nor has ever presented VTE.
By comparison, newer generations of contraceptive pills are deemed to increase the risk level of developing blod clots by 4 times.
The results, as stated above are mainly statistical. Although the studies were thorough in including all the factors into the calculation, the results are still to be taken with caution.
Critics of the studies are recommending the same. If anyone has any doubts about their respective oral contraceptives, the physician or gynecologist attending them should be able to answer any related-questions.
Further details on these findings can be found in the British Medical Journal.
Image Source: uh.edu
