Research Notes — Some contraceptives risky for women with certain conditions

For most women, the decision on which form of contraception to use is not normally complicated.

But for women with certain medical conditions, including diabetes, epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis or high blood pressure, the use of some forms of contraceptives can pose health risks.

Rachel Bonnema, M.D., an internal medicine physician at UNMC, recently published an article that provides health professionals an update of contraceptive choices for women with underlying health conditions.

The review was published in American Family Physician, a journal of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

“Women don’t necessarily know what’s the best option,” Dr. Bonnema said. “Their health professional can help them choose a method that will work best for them.”

More online See more consumer information on various contraceptive options.

The article focused on women of reproductive age who have medical conditions. It includes information about new types of contraceptives that some health care providers might not be familiar with. These include:

• Newer formulations of oral contraceptive pills;
  
• Oral contraceptive pills that reduce the number of menstrual cycles to four a year;
  
• Contraceptive patches; and
  
• A contraceptive ring and single-rod implantable device.

“Many women have seen television advertisements about new methods but don’t know how they differ,” Dr. Bonnema said. “That’s why it’s so important for health providers to have that conversation with patients to find out what they want to get out of their birth control.”