Oral Contraceptives May Decrease Bone Density in Younger Women, Study Suggests
Younger women taking oral contraceptives may be at greater risk of developing decreased bone density, a new study says.
Women under 30 who take birth control pills for two years or longer and those taking low-dose estrogen pills seem to be at the greatest risks of reduced bone density of the spine and throughout the body, researchers say.
“I think the evidence is still emerging on this association, but our findings suggest that low-dose oral contraceptives with long-term use have some impact on bone density,” said study author Delia Scholes, a senior investigator at the Group Health Research Institute of Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, according to a HealthDay news report.
Long-Term Effects Not Clear
The study does not explain what the long-term effects of birth control pills may be. It also is unclear whether the study’s authors support a finding that the bone density loss is easily reversible by stopping use of the pills or how the decreased bone density might translate to risks of bone fractures later on, HealthDay reports.
Almost 12 million American women currently use some form of oral contraception, the study said. Women in their 20s who are on the pill are not at the same risks of injury from reduced bone density because at that age, their bodies are cranking out plenty of bone mass to make up for any decreases, the researchers said.
Pill Users Compared to Non-Users
For the study, scientists analyzed 606 women between the ages of 14 and 30. The researchers studied the women’s oral contraceptive use, the duration of use, and the estrogen dose in the contraception. They then compared the data to the results of bone mineral density tests.
What they found was women taking oral contraception had average bone mineral density levels that were 5.9 percent less for the spine and 2.3 percent lower for the whole body compared to non-users of birth control.
The researchers also noted a trend toward lower bone density in women taking oral contraceptives containing lower doses of estrogen, with the lowest readings in women taking formulations containing less than 30 micrograms of estrogen, HealthDay reports.
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Fantastic post, as a women I couldn’t agree more.