Oral contraceptives seem to work equally well in women who are overweight and those who are not.
Oral contraceptives seem to work equally well in women who are overweight and those who are not.
Oral contraceptives (OCs) are a popular method of reversible birth control that provide women with convenience and flexibility in family planning. OCs are extremely effective at preventing unplanned pregnancies, and their consistent and correct use is associated with an unintended rate of pregnancy as low as 0.3% during the first year of use.
Previous research on the relationship between contraceptive effectiveness and body composition are conflicting with several studies assessing contraceptive effectiveness according to weight and body mass index (BMI) suggesting that overweight and obese women may be at an increased risk of contraceptive failure.
Therefore, researchers analysed 59,510 oral contraceptive users in Europe to assess the use-effectiveness of different types of oral contraceptives according to body mass index (BMI), weight, age, and other factors like duration of use, dose, number of children and dosing schedule. The participants were followed for 5 years.
During the study, 545 unplanned pregnancies occurred. There was no evidence that a woman's body mass index (BMI) influenced the likelihood that she would become pregnant while on most types of oral contraceptive.
However, a subset of contraceptives containing chlormadinone acetate (CMA) were less effective in heavy women with BMIs of 30 or greater or who weighed at least 75 kilograms (165 pounds). But according to the researchers, CMA-containing contraceptives' effectiveness was still acceptable.
The researchers concluded that oral contraceptives are equally effective for overweight women and those who are not and failure rates decrease with age and duration of use. BMI and weight have little, if any, influence on their effectiveness.
Oral contraceptives (OCs) are a popular method of reversible birth control that provide women with convenience and flexibility in family planning. OCs are extremely effective at preventing unplanned pregnancies, and their consistent and correct use is associated with an unintended rate of pregnancy as low as 0.3% during the first year of use.
Previous research on the relationship between contraceptive effectiveness and body composition are conflicting with several studies assessing contraceptive effectiveness according to weight and body mass index (BMI) suggesting that overweight and obese women may be at an increased risk of contraceptive failure.
Therefore, researchers analysed 59,510 oral contraceptive users in Europe to assess the use-effectiveness of different types of oral contraceptives according to body mass index (BMI), weight, age, and other factors like duration of use, dose, number of children and dosing schedule. The participants were followed for 5 years.
During the study, 545 unplanned pregnancies occurred. There was no evidence that a woman's body mass index (BMI) influenced the likelihood that she would become pregnant while on most types of oral contraceptive.
However, a subset of contraceptives containing chlormadinone acetate (CMA) were less effective in heavy women with BMIs of 30 or greater or who weighed at least 75 kilograms (165 pounds). But according to the researchers, CMA-containing contraceptives' effectiveness was still acceptable.
The researchers concluded that oral contraceptives are equally effective for overweight women and those who are not and failure rates decrease with age and duration of use. BMI and weight have little, if any, influence on their effectiveness.
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