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  • Title: Chest pain among oral contraceptive users.
    Author: Williams K.
    Journal: J R Coll Gen Pract; 1980 Jan; 30(210):33-4. PubMed ID: 7373575.
    Abstract:
    The major conclusion reached in a retrospective study conducted in England was that oral contraceptive users were no more likely than nonusers to experience either minor or more severe chest pains suggestive of embolic problems. Questionnaires were mailed to 550 oral contraceptive users and 550 age-matched controls who did not use oral contraceptives. Participants were selected from the registers of a general practitioner in the industrial town of Derbyshire or of a general practitioner who served a middle class suburban population in Nottingham. The questionnaires were mailed to the women by their doctor and the women were unaware of the purpose of the study. They were asked a series of questions including whether or not they used oral contraceptives and if they ever experienced chest pains. Questionnaires were returned by 489 oral contraceptive users and by 289 of the controls. Those who reported chest pains were sent an additional questionnaire to elicit more specific information on chest pain episodes. Their responses were converted to a 12 point severity scale and those who scored 8 or more on the scales were identified as experiencing chest pains of an embolic nature. Among all those who returned the initial questionnaire, 6.3% of the pill users and 9% of the controls said they had experienced chest pains. Among those who reported chest pains, 46% of the pill users and 43% of the controls had high severity scores. These differences were not significant. These findings suggest that at the present time there is no reason to alter oral contraceptive prescribing practices nor any need to undertake a large scale prospective study of the relationship between chest pain and oral contraceptive use.
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