Risk for Arterial Complications with Use of Hormonal Contraception

Some reports have suggested that rates of venous thromboembolism in users of hormonal contraception differ by estrogen dose (JW Womens Health Mar 21 2006) and progestin type (JW Womens Health Dec 1 2011), but less is known about arterial complications. To establish whether various contraceptives differentially affect risk for arterial thrombosis, researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from 1.6 million Danish women.

During 15 years of follow-up, 1051 thrombotic strokes (21.4 per 100,000 woman-years) and 497 myocardial infarctions (MIs; 10.1 per 100,000 woman-years) occurred among hormonal contraception users, whereas 2260 thrombotic strokes (24.2 per 100,000 woman-years) and 1228 MIs (13.2 per 100,000 woman-years) occur…