Scientists from Guangzhou Southern Medical University found that oral contraceptives do not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and can be good for the heart if taken for a long time. Research published Journal of the American Heart Association.
The authors examined the association between oral contraceptive use and cardiovascular disease in 161,017 women from the British Biobank. At the start of the study, participants filled out a questionnaire asking if they had used oral contraceptives between 2006 and 2010. None of them had cardiovascular disease. The women measured total cholesterol, glycated hemoglobin, and C-reactive protein. They also took into account lifestyle factors, including smoking status and physical activity levels.
The women were tracked until 2020. The analysis showed that oral contraceptive use did not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. What’s more, women who took the pill had a 9% lower risk of cardiovascular disease. The risk of coronary heart disease, heart failure and atrial fibrillation was 8-13% lower.
It also turned out that using birth control pills for a longer period of time has more heart health benefits than short-term use.
However, hormone supplementation did not affect the survival of women who developed chronic cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, or stroke.
Although a large number of women participated in the study, most of them were of European descent. It is unknown whether the results will be the same for other populations. Additionally, scientists had no knowledge of the compositions or dosages of oral contraceptives. Therefore, it is not clear whether some birth control pills are more beneficial to the heart than others.
Larger studies are needed to determine how different formulations or dosages of birth control pills affect cardiovascular outcomes.
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