[Favorable concomitant effects and undesirable side effects of oral contraceptives]

Oral contraceptives can cause favourable or adverse unintended effects. Severe adverse side effects could be reduced by lowering the estrogen dose and lowering the dose and changing the structure of progestogens. So favourable side effects have gained in importance such as correcting disorders of the menstrual bleeding pattern, positive influence on functional ovarian cysts, benign breast diseases, the skin. Concerning the risk for neoplasm there is a certain protective effect against endometrial and ovarian cancer and no higher risk for breast cancer. Medically important adverse side effects on the cervix, the menstrual pattern, the liver and gallbladder, the central nervous system and psyche, or severe side effects like thromboembolic diseases are significantly reduced by dose reduced compounds containing newly developed progestogens. Interactions between oral contraceptives and other drugs are of little clinical significance.