Combined Oral Contraceptives and Venous Thromboembolism: Review and Perspective to Mitigate the Risk.

ABSTRACT: Many factors must be considered and discussed with women when initiating a contraceptive method and the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of them. In this review, we discuss the numerous strategies that have been implemented to reduce the thrombotic risk associated with combined oral contraceptives (COCs) from their arrival on the market until today. Evidences suggesting that COCs were associated with an increased risk of VTE appeared rapidly after their marketing. Identified as the main contributor of this risk, the dosage of the estrogen, i.e., ethinylestradiol (EE), was significantly reduced. New progestins were also synthetized (e.g., desogestrel or gestodene) but their weak androgenic activity did not permit to counterbalance the effect of EE as did the initial progestins su

SUBMITTER: Morimont L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8697849 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature