Pill scare linked to rise in abortions.

Abstract

It is argued that the British media exposure of the potential harmful side effects from oral contraceptive use contributed to raising fears and panic among users. The government in 1995 announced that there was double the risk of deep vein thrombosis from use of contraceptive pills containing gestodene or desogestrel. The government was advised by the Committee on Safety of Medicines. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) announced that the rise in abortions after the announcement could have been due to the pill scare. BPAS reported that during December 1995-February 1996 the number of abortions performed increased by 823 over the number reported in the same period a year before. The increase reversed a declining trend in abortions performed by a service that carries out 20% of all abortions in Great Britain. A BPAS spokesperson suggested that women panicked and stopped taking their pills, even though the government warned against an abrupt stop in usage. Women appeared to have not understood that risk was highest among overweight women and women with a prior history of thromboses. Findings from a BPAS survey that was conducted among almost 300 women with unplanned pregnancies showed that over 40% of women stopped taking their contraceptive pills immediately after the government's warning. 61% did not finish taking their remaining pills in the month's cycle. Under 20% of women switched to another contraceptive method. Another BPAS survey among 90 women that sought contraceptive advice at BPAS clinics found that nearly 50% of women expected the pill to be an unsafe method. It was suggested that media messages should have emphasized that the risk of unplanned pregnancies was much greater than the risks of deep vein thromboses.