Common oral contraceptive pill has negative effect on general well-being

An estimated 100 million women use the contraceptive pill, but surprisingly little is known about its effect on overall health.

A randomised controlled trial published in Fertility and Sterility
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(online, 18 April 2017), however, has found that the most common combined oral contraceptive pills have a negative impact on general well-being.

In the trial, 332 healthy women aged 18 to 35 years received either a combined oral contraceptive (150μg levonorgestrel and 30μg ethinylestradiol) or placebo for three months. As measured by the Psychological General Well-being Index (PGWBI), the researchers found that those who received oral contraceptives experienced a significant reduction in their general well-being compared with those taking placebo (-4.12, 95% confidence interval, -7.18 to -1.06, p=0.009). The effect of the contraceptive on depressed mood was not significant.

The researchers say that even a modest reduction in general well-being should be of clinical importance and may help explain the high discontinuation rate of this contraceptive method.