Contraceptive pill use ‘is not linked to a higher death rate’

Contraceptive pill users have been told that taking the medication does not increase their long-term risk of death.

A study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that women in the UK who have used the oral contraceptive pill are less likely to die from any cause, including all cancers and heart disease, compared with those who have never taken it.

The results show a slightly higher risk of death in women under 45 who are current or recent users of the pill, but the authors stress that the effects in younger women disappear after about ten years.

However, the study also found that there continues to be a higher rate of violent or accidental death among oral contraceptive users, which the authors of the study were unable to explain.

Despite this, the authors concluded: “Oral contraception is not significantly associated with an increased long-term risk of death – indeed a net benefit was apparent.”

Professor Philip Hannaford from the University of Aberdeen, who led the research, added that the findings are likely to be particularly reassuring to women who used the first generation of oral contraceptives.