title: Pathologic effects of oral contraceptives.
abstract: The pathologic effects of oral contraceptives have been described in this paper and in other reviews [1, 5, 23, 35, 44, 48, 59, 80, 103, 114]. Approximately 10 million women currently use oral contraceptives in the United States. These drugs are beneficial both to the users and for population control. It is their effect on the health status of women who take them that must continue to have well-organized investigation so that more meaningful conclusions concerning their safety will permit continued use. In some instances, the pathologic effects of oral contraceptives make it necessary that new methods of contraception be found. Intensive research in this area is needed and judiciuos use of oral contraceptives must be maintained. A national registry should be formed to record and investigate the cases of women who die or have adverse reactions while taking these agents. A registry might identify associations no previously known to exist in patients taking oral contraceptives. It would serve to concentrate the data in one area so that more material would be available for the study of pathogenetic mechanisms. It would heighten patient and physician awareness of the untoward effects and increase the responsibilities of the women who take them to monitor their own health.
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001940:Breast / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005187:Fallopian Tubes / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000139:chemically induced; D010053:Ovary / Q000187:drug effects; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000139:chemically induced; D014599:Uterus / Q000187:drug effects; D014621:Vagina / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral