title: Oral contraception and congenital malformations in offspring: a review and meta-analysis of the prospective studies.
abstract: The technique of meta-analysis was used to derive typical estimates of the risk of congenital malformations from oral contraceptive (OC) exposure in early pregnancy. Several definitions were used for non-exposure to reduce bias from this source. Congenital heart defects and limb reduction defects were analyzed separately. The typical relative risk from the 12 prospective studies analyzed was 0.99 (95% confidence interval 0.83, 1.19) for all malformations. The definition of non-exposure did not materially change this estimate. The typical risk for congenital heart defects was 1.06 (95% confidence interval 0.72, 1.56) and for limb reduction defects, 1.04 (95% confidence interval 0.30, 3.55). This lack of an association between OCs and birth defects in prospective studies agrees with the results of most of the better-designed case-control studies.
authors: Yale Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Yale University Medical School, New Haven, Connecticut.
authors: M B
authors: MB
authors: Bracken
mesh_terms: D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral