Researchers from, among others, the University of Copenhagen have gone through data from national registers on over two million Danish women between 15 and 49 years old.
By analyzing data on prescription of contraceptives and comparing them with data on stroke and heart attack, the researchers have seen how the occurrence of the diseases differs between those who have had hormonal contraceptives and those who have not. And there is a certain increased risk.
But it's about a very low risk, and as a woman, I don't think you need to be worried, says Therese Johansson, researcher in women's health at Uppsala University, who has read the study but was not herself involved in it.
Ask Healthcare
But just like the researchers behind the study, which has been published in the journal BMJ, she emphasizes the importance of women being involved in the choice of contraceptives and asking healthcare for advice.
If you have heart and cardiovascular disease in your family, for example, it may be good to think about the alternatives, she says.
According to the authors, there are approximately 248 million women worldwide who use hormonal contraceptives.
The most common contraceptive, combination pills, was linked to a doubled risk of stroke or heart attack compared to not using them. This corresponds to an extra stroke case for every 4,760th woman who uses combination pills for a year and an extra heart attack per 10,000 women.
Hormonal Spiral Stood Out
For hormonal spirals with gestagen, a contraceptive that is increasing in Sweden, the researchers could not see any increased risk.
Previously, it was mainly used by women who had given birth, but now there are newer variants that are also used by younger women, says Therese Johansson.
The highest risk increase was seen for women who used non-oral combination preparations such as vaginal rings and patches. The vaginal ring was linked to 2.4 times increased risk of stroke and 3.8 times increased risk of heart attack, and the patch to 3.4 times increased risk of stroke.
The study is an observational study, and it cannot be said for certain that it is the contraceptives that lead to the increased disease risk.
The study included:
Combination pills with estrogen and gestagen, pills with only gestagen (minipills), vaginal rings, patches, hormonal spirals, injections, and p-rods inserted under the skin.
According to the study, there are approximately 248 million women worldwide who use hormonal contraceptives.
Source: BMJ
