Do Oral Contraceptives Contribute to Urinary Incontinence?

Use of oral contraceptives raised the odds of incident incontinence moderately, but why?

Use of postmenopausal hormone therapy has been associated with elevated risk for urinary incontinence. Is the same true for use of oral contraceptives (OCs) in premenopausal women? Using Nurses’ Health Study data for nearly 22,000 women (age range, 37–54) who reported no urinary incontinence in 2001, investigators identified 749 women who experienced urinary incontinence at least weekly between 2001 and 2003.

After multivariable adjustment, self-reported ever use of OCs at any time increased the odds of incident incontinence moderately (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.01–1.59). Longer duration of use was associated with progressively greater odds of incident incontinence (P=0.03 for trend). Only urge incontinence was associated with ever use of …

Reviewing Author

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

Do Oral Contraceptives Contribute to Urinary Incontinence?

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Reviewing Author