title: Do women aged over 40 need different counseling on combined hormonal contraception?
abstract: There is still a risk of pregnancy during the menopause transition, for most women after the age of 40, as occasional, spontaneous ovulation can occur. Women in this age group may therefore consider using contraception and want appropriate counseling. Aging is accompanied by changes that can increase the risks associated with the use of combined hormonal contraceptives (CHCs), but we do not have sufficient evidence to determine whether age alone increases the risks of using CHCs or whether there are additional risks if CHC use begins at an earlier age. Another issue is whether we can differentiate between initiator versus continuation influences on risk. The objective of this article is to review the risks associated with CHC to determine whether there is a need for more appropriate contraceptive counseling for women aged over 40.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. Electronic address: nicomendoza@telefonica.net.
authors.forename: Nicolás
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mendoza
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Esperanza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.affiliation: DIATROS, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Borrego
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D003267:Contraception; D003277:Contraceptives, Oral, Combined / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003376:Counseling; D004967:Estrogens; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D047648:Perimenopause; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D003277:Contraceptives, Oral, Combined; D004967:Estrogens
keywords: Hormonal contraception; Middlife; Risk assessment