Contraception (Birth Control) and Family Planning PubHealthInfo

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PubHealth.info® (a subsidiary of PakMed) presents scientific information mainly based on abstracts of articles published on a variety of public health issues/topics, particularly encompassing population planning, disease prevention, maternal and child health, and communicable and non-communicable diseases (like HIV AIDS, malaria, etc) that are affecting a significant portion of population in developing and developed countries. Here you can find abstracts of articles published on a variety of public health topics under category "Contraception (Birth Control) and Family Planning". Contraception (birth control) is a regimen of one or more actions, devices, or medications followed in order to deliberately prevent or reduce the likelihood of a woman becoming pregnant or giving birth. Therefore contraception is the utilization of various and sundry surgical procedures, devices, practices, agents, or drugs with the intention of preventing conception or impregnation (pregnancy). Methods and intentions typically termed birth control may be considered a pivotal ingredient to family planning. Birth control is a controversial political and ethical issue in many cultures and religions, and although it is generally less controversial than abortion specifically.

YEAR: 1983

CATEGORY: Contraception (Birth Control) and Family Planning

TITLE

Oral contraceptives: the good news [editorial]

AUTHORS

Hulka BS

SOURCE

JAMA. 1983 Mar 25;249(12):1624-5.

ABSTRACT

Now, after 20 years of marketing in the US, sufficient time has elapsed to evaluate the possibility of longterm adverse

and beneficial effects of oral contraceptives (OCs). Cardiovascular complications were established in Britain within

8 years of their market introduction and widespread acceptance. These adverse effects appeared somewhat less

devastating when balanced in perspective with the risks associated with pregnancy and delivery. Concern over

carcinogenic effects that occurred 20 years after 1st exposure may not have a strong biologic basis, yet the potential

seriousness of the problem in addition to scientific and lay interests in carcinogenic effects of pharmacologic

agents necessitate that the possibility be investigated. 3 articles in this issue of the Journal of the American

Medical Association (JAMA) report on the association between OCs and cancers of the breast, endometrium, and

ovary, which are the natural target organs for steroid sex hormones. The findings for each of the 3 studies are not

new. The importance of these studies lies in their large sample size, the geographic diversity of subjects, the

inclusion of all cancer cases from each area, and the randomly selected population based controls. No association

between OCs and breast cancer could be found, and OCs were protective for ovarian and endometrial cancer. The

only caveat concerns the preliminary nature of these reports. The number of subjects represents only a fraction of

the total that eventually will be ascertained. Provocative findings are evident in the current data. A similar pattern of

associations between characteristics of OC use and cancer risk appears for both endometrial and ovarian cancer. If

cancers of both sites are reduced in frequency by the same agents, they also may be increased by similar etiological

factors. Clinical and epidemiologic studies indicate that women at high risk for 1 cancer are also at high risk for the

other. Menopausal estrogens are an exception, in that they increase the risk of endometrial cancer without

increasing the risk of ovarian cancer. In the current studies, the greatest cancer sparing effect occurred among

nulliparous women, a group that is at an increased risk for development of both cancers in the absence of OCs. A

protective effect among nulliparous women was not confirmed in the other 2 recent case control studies of ovarian

cancer. In the ovarian cancer report, the protective effect of OCs was sustained and even enhanced 5-10 or more

years after discontinuing OC use. The finding of no association between breast cancer and OC use indicates that

no cases are either caused or prevented by OC use. (PubHealth.info Document ID: CONT5T 2080-06)

PubHealth.info NOTE: The author(s) of this article titled, "Oral contraceptives: the good news [editorial]", is(are)

Hulka BS. The source of this article is "JAMA. 1983 Mar 25;249(12):1624-5.". This article was published in 1983 in

English language(s). (PubHealth.info® Document ID: CONT5T 2080-06. All rights reserved with PubHealth.info) PIN:

22080

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