14 Aug 2023 • A study found that oral contraceptive (OC) use did not have negative effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes and long-term survival. The study compared women who had used oral contraceptives with those who had never used them and discovered that oral contraceptive use was associated with reduced rates of CVD events and all-cause mortality over a median follow-up period of 11.8 years. The outcomes observed were as follows:

• All-cause mortality: 3.2% vs. 5.9% (adjusted HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.99)
• Incident CVD: 5.8% vs. 10.6% (adjusted HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.87-0.96)
• Coronary heart disease: 2.8% vs. 5.1% (adjusted HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.95)
• Heart failure: 0.8% vs. 2.0% (adjusted HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76-0.99)
• Atrial fibrillation: 2.0% vs. 4.3% (adjusted HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.84-0.99) The study found that the protective effects of oral contraceptive use were more pronounced in individuals who had used them for longer durations. Interestingly, there were no significant associations between OC use and CVD death, myocardial infarction, or stroke after accounting for traditional risk factors. The researchers concluded that oral contraceptive use did not appear to increase the risk of CVD events or all-cause death in women and might even offer a net benefit, especially with longer durations of use. Source: AHA | Read full story