[The effect of oral contraceptives on bone density in climacteric females]

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of long-term administration of oral contraceptives on bone density in climacteric women. Two hundred (n = 200) climacteric women were allocated to three study groups (I, II, III). The first (n = 30) one had been using oral contraceptives for more than 10 years, the second (n = 50) one for between 2 and 9 years, while the third (n = 120) one had never used oral contraceptives. Bone mineral content (BMC) of the left forearm was measured by single photon absorptiometry. The results demonstrate that osteoporosis occurs later and is less frequent during the peri-menopause (p less than 0.05) in women who have used oral contraceptives on a long-term basis (greater than 10 yr). Our findings confirm that there is an important correlation between longterm use of oral contraceptives and bone density.