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Combined oral contraceptive use among women with hypertension: a systematic review

Kathryn M Curtis1, Anshu P Mohllajee, Summer L Martins

  • 1WHO Collaborating Center in Reproductive Health, Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. kmc6@cdc.gov

Contraception
|January 18, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Hypertension and combined oral contraceptive (COC) use increases cardiovascular risks, particularly stroke and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Blood pressure monitoring before COC use is crucial for mitigating these risks in women with hypertension.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Pharmacology
  • Hypertension Research

Background:

  • Women with hypertension face elevated cardiovascular event risks.
  • Combined oral contraceptives (COCs), even low-dose, are linked to a small cardiovascular risk increase in healthy women.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review cardiovascular risks associated with combined oral contraceptive (COC) use in women with hypertension.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic review of MEDLINE-indexed articles published from 1966 to February 2005.
  • Included studies focused on COC use, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

Main Results:

  • Hypertensive COC users showed increased risks for stroke and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) compared to non-users.
  • No increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) was observed in hypertensive COC users.
  • Women not monitoring blood pressure before COC use had higher risks for ischemic stroke and AMI.

Conclusions:

  • Hypertensive women using COCs face elevated risks for stroke and AMI.
  • Routine blood pressure measurement before initiating COCs is vital for women with hypertension to prevent adverse cardiovascular events.

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