Developing Country Pill Users Experience Small Rise in Blood Pressure

Abstract

According to the results of a multi-country study regarding the effects of oral contraceptives (OCs) on blood pressure pill users experience a small increase in blood pressure at the end of 1 year of use compared with IUD users. To analyze changes in blood pressure among OC users and IUD users researchers working with WHO collected data from 10 centers in three developed and six developing countries. Eligible study participants comprised 704 pill users and 703 IUD users. Overall results showed that hypertension was diagnosed in 4 women in the pill group; no women in the IUD group developed hypertension. The cumulative life-table rate of hypertension among pill users was 0.78 per 100 woman-years of use. The researchers conclude that OCs appear to cause a small transitory increase in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure but are unlikely to contribute substantially to hypertension and its sequelae. Consequently another study was conducted to examine whether the estrogen component of the pill is responsible for the apparent blood pressure increase. An overall comparison and a comparison within each center of blood pressure change among women taking the higher estrogen pill versus those taking the lower estrogen dose found no significant differences between the two groups. The researchers believe that the results provide some evidence against the hypothesis that estrogen or the estrogen/progestogen ratio cause pill-induced changes in blood pressure.