Use of multiphasic oral contraceptives and hospitalizations of women with functional ovarian cysts in the United States

Abstract

A case-series report of seven women who developed functional ovarian cysts while taking multiphasic oral contraceptives has raised the possibility of an association between these two events. To address this question, we calculated the nationwide rates of hospitalization of women diagnosed with such cysts and examined the use of multiphasic oral contraceptives from 1979-1986. Whereas the use of multiphasic oral contraceptives grew from zero to three million users during the study interval, the hospitalization rate for functional ovarian cysts fluctuated between 472-522 per 100,000 women aged 15-44 years. Thus, there was no discernible association between taking these contraceptives and being hospitalized for functional ovarian cysts. Although this indirect assessment can neither confirm nor refute the postulated association, it suggests that if such an association does exist, its net public health impact has not been great.