These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Debate continues over OC use by women over age 40.
    Journal: Contracept Technol Update; 1988 Sep; 9(9):101-5. PubMed ID: 12342191.
    Abstract:
    Although there is still some debate in both the medical and family planning communities over the use of oral contraceptives for women aged 40 and over, the newsletter Contraceptive Technology Update reports that attitudes are changing. A 1988 Contraceptive Technology Update survey showed that 47.7% of the respondents would prefer to prescribe oral contraceptives to women beyond the age of 40 despite protocols that might dictate otherwise. Physicians and nurse practitioners had varying cutoff ages for OCs with almost all respondents halting use at age 45. Among physician assistants, 43% believed that oral contraceptives should not be prescribed to women over the age of 40. However, a pill is being developed for women over 40 that will consider the reduced fertility, menstrual irregularity and an increased risk of endometrial cancer inherent in the aging process for women. Although many medical staff may be hesitant in prescribing OCs for their older patients, this may be a reflection of conservative attitudes that stem from a lack of information and test results as a good case can be made for oral contraceptive use in women over 40. If an older patient is being considered for OC use, it is generally agreed that the following guidelines should be met: the patient should be of good health, a nonsmoker, have no contraindications for combined pill use, have no family history health risk and should be normotensive. As well, clinicians recommend cholesterol or lipid screenings as part of the patient workup.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]