Oral contraceptive use by teenage women does not affect peak bone mass: a longitudinal study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use during adolescence on peak bone mass.


METHODS
Longitudinal observational study.


METHODS
Academic clinical research center.


METHODS
Sixty-two non-Hispanic, white females in The Penn State Young Women's Health Study, who were studied for 8 years during ages 12-20.


METHODS
There were 28 OCP users, who used OCPs for a minimum of 6 months and were still using at age 20, and 34 nonusers who had never used OCPs.


METHODS
Total body bone, dedicated hip bone, and body composition measurements were made by dual-energy roentgenogram absorptiometry.


RESULTS
The OCP users and nonusers did not differ at entry in anthropometric, body composition, or total body bone measurements. By age 20, the average duration of OCP use by the user group was 22 months. At age 20, the groups remained indistinguishable in anthropometric, body composition, total body, and hip bone measures, and in age of menarche and sports exercise scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral contraceptive pill use by healthy, white, teenage females does not affect acquisition of peak bone mass.
Lloyd
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T
Department of Health Evaluation Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA. tal3@psu.edu
Taylor
D S
DS
Lin
H M
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Matthews
A E
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Eggli
D F
DF
Legro
R S
RS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D002648:Child; D003278:Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies
D003278:Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal