Scientists from Uppsala University (UU) found that the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis was 19% lower in women who used birth control pills. The research was published in the journal Rheumatology.
Using data from more than 200,000 women in the UK Biobank database, scientists showed that women taking birth control pills had a 19% lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). But taking hormones to relieve menopause symptoms had the opposite effect: The risk of developing RA was 16% higher than in women who did not take hormone therapy. Birth control pills and menopausal hormone therapy contain different types of hormones, which may explain their opposite effects.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues in the body. It affects the joints, most often the hands, wrists and knees, but also the lungs, heart and eyes. Women are three times more likely to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis than men. Some research suggests that low hormone levels during menopause increase the amount of inflammatory proteins that contribute to RA. But a large study in 2020 found no link between this condition and menopause.
“Our research shows that taking birth control pills protects against rheumatoid arthritis. “We found that the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in women who took birth control pills was 19% lower than in those who never took such medications,” said Fatemeh Hadizadeh, lead author of the study.
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