Citation

Kirkham C, Reid RL. Fertil. Steril. 1987; 47(4): 557-558.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1987, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

3569544

Abstract

Women seeking safe, reliable contraception must weigh the risks associated with such methods with their benefits. To make this assessment process more meaningful, the authors have prepared a chart that sets forth the risks of oral contraceptive (OC) use by different user factors (e.g., age, cigarette smoking) in proportion to the risks inherent in a variety of sporting activities and types of accidents. Mortality rates reported for OC use include those due to the method and those due to pregnancies resulting from method failure. Scrutiny of this chart reveals that the risk of death associated with swimming, boating, and automobile use exceeds the risk of death for nonsmokers who use OCs up to 34 years of age (1.6 deaths/100,000 population). OC use by women 15-24 years of age who smoke carries a lower mortality risk (3.0/1000) than scuba diving or falling, while OC users 25-34 years old who smoke are more likely to die as a result of homicide, suicide, or automobile accidents than they are as a result of their use of OCs (mortality rate, 10.2/1000). On the other hand, OC use by smokers 35-44 years of age is associated with a mortality rate of 84.5/1000, which is a higher risk than that associated with the sport of hang-gliding.

Language: en