Desogestrel-containing oral contraceptives and blood pressure

Oral contraceptives (OCs) containing 0.150 mg desogestrel plus 0.020 or 0.030 mg ethinylestradiol (Marvelon) were studied with respect to their effect on blood pressure. Data on 3,421 women were obtained covering 41,132 treatment cycles. The drop-out rate due to hypertension was 2.92 per thousand women-years (TWY). Mean changes in blood pressure were small, indicating that low doses of ethinylestradiol when combined with desogestrel do not adversely affect blood pressure.