The risks and benefits of oral contraceptives

Although OCs are frequently perceived as offering no health benefits other than enabling a woman to control the timing and size of her family, it is obvious from this review that substantial protection from a variety of conditions is conferred by OC use. Future studies, however, may delineate a subpopulation of women at risk for cervical neoplasia who should not use oral contraception. When OCs are prescribed for only those women for whom they are appropriate, using the lowest dosage of estrogenic and progestogenic agents necessary to control fertility and prevent irregular bleeding, then morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular events can be avoided while allowing the largest number of women to benefit from their protection from neoplasia, infection, and benign breast disease.