ST. PETE BEACH, FLA. — Periconceptional exposure to oral contraceptives was not associated with increased risk of adverse fetal outcomes in a recent prospective study.
None of the 45 women who were exposed to oral contraceptives during the periconceptional period and were followed until after delivery gave birth to an infant with congenital malformations, compared with 6 of 225 controls. The difference in the congenital malformation rate between the exposed and control groups was not significant, said H.K. Ahn, M.D., and colleagues of the Motherisk Program at Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea, during a poster session at the annual meeting of the Teratology Society.
The groups were also similar in regard to mean gestational age at delivery (39 weeks in both groups) and birth weight (3,257 g in the exposed group, and 3,268 g in the controls), the investigators said.
Women in the exposed group took oral contraceptives containing either combined ethinyl estradiol and progesterone, or high-dose progesterone.
Although some earlier studies suggested a link between oral contraceptive use during pregnancy and increased risk of birth defects, later studies—including the current study—have failed to reproduce these findings.
“Exposure to oral contraceptives, including high doses of progesterone … did not increase adverse fetal outcomes,” the investigators said.