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  • Title: The significance of oral contraceptives in causing chromosome anomalies in spontaneous abortions.
    Author: Lauritsen JG.
    Journal: Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand; 1975; 54(3):261-4. PubMed ID: 1163219.
    Abstract:
    The significance of oral contraceptives in causing chromosome aberrations in the fetus was studied in 246 non-selected spontaneous abortuses using Q-banding technique. No significant difference in the frequency of abnormal karyotypes or in the sex ratio was found between 124 abortuses of women who had taken oral contraceptives in comparison with 122 abortuses of women who had never used oral contraceptives. The study did, however, show that women who had used oral contraceptives were significantly younger than women who had not used these pills. In addition, the gestational age of the chromosomally abnormal abortuses was on the average 6 days longer in the group of women who had used oral contraceptives than in the group who had not. The difference was significant only with regard to the karyotype 45,X. 286 spontaneously aborted fetuses were examined by chromosome analysis of cells from long-term cultures to determine the significance of oral contraceptives in causing chromosome aberrations. Successful growth was obtained in 254 of the cases. Karyotypes were made of cells stained with orcein, and most karyotypes were analyzed by the Q-binding technique. Of the 124 women who had taken oral contraceptives (OCs), 44% had taken more than 1 preparation. Duration of contraceptive use was from 2 to 60 months. Abortuses of women who had taken OCs revealed chromosome abnormalities in 60% of cases. From women who had not taken OCs the corresponding figure was 49%. This difference was not considered significant. Different types of chromosome aberrations were of equal frequency in the 2 groups. The abortuses having the Y-chromosome were in the same ratio in the 2 groups. Women who had used OCs and who had normal karyotype fetuses averaged 24.7 years of age compared with 28.7 years of age for those who had not used OCs. Those who had used OCs and had abnormal karyotypes averaged 26 years of age while those with an abnormal karyotype who had not used OCs averaged 28.3 years of age. The difference between these age distributions was considered highly significant (p less than .0005). The gestational age for chromosomally abnormal abortuses was longer in the group taking OCs but the difference was significant only with the 45,X karyotype (p less than .01). The time from stopping OC therapy to the beginning of the current pregnancy was essentially the same whether the abortuses had normal or abnormal karyotypes (p less than .4).
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