Study: Birth control pills may reduce severe asthma risk

Taking birth control pills may cut the risk of severe bouts of asthma in women of reproductive age with the respiratory condition, say researchers. The findings, published in the journal Thorax, indicate that the observed protective effect is relatively small, and doesn't include progestogen-only hormonal contraceptives. "Female sex hormones are thought to partly explain the clear differences in the incidence and severity of asthma between the sexes," said study authors from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

"And fluctuations in levels of these hormones during the menstrual cycle have been linked to worsening asthma symptoms in some women," they wrote. While the potential impact of synthetic sex hormones on asthma in women has been repeatedly studied over several decades, no consensus has yet been reached. In a bid to clear up the uncertainties, the researchers explored the potential impact of different types and periods of use of hormonal contraceptives on asthma severity and what influence weight (BMI) and cigarette smoking might have.

They drew on information entered into the Optimum Patient Care Research Database (OPCRD) to find women of reproductive age (16-45) who also had asthma. OPCRD is a large population-based, long term, anonymised database of 630 primary care practices across the UK, containing the health records of more than six million patients.

TAGS : study, birth control pills may reduce severe asthma risk, birth control pills, asthma, women, ifairer