Effects of long-term postoperative oral contraceptive use for the prevention of endometrioma recurrence on bone mineral density in young women

Abstract

Concerns for negative effects of oral contraceptives (OCs) on bone mineral density (BMD) in long-term users have been raised, since OCs suppress the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian axis. However, there have been still limited data regarding the effects of long-term OC use on BMD in young women in the twenties. We investigated the effects of long-term OC use for the prevention of endometrioma recurrence on BMD in young women. Ninety-two women aged 20–30 years who underwent conservative surgery for endometrioma and used postoperative OC for at least 12 months to prevent the recurrence were included for this cross-sectional study, and BMDs after OC use were analyzed. The mean age at starting OC and duration of OC use was 25.6 ± 2.9 years and 40.7 ± 28.5 months, respectively. No correlation was found between BMDs and age at starting OC at all sites. In addition, BMDs were also not correlated with the duration of OC use, and were comparable according to the dose of OC (20 versus 30 μg). In conclusion, long-term use of OCs has no adverse effect on BMD in post-adolescent young women.

Chinese abstract

因为口服避孕药抑制下丘脑-垂体-卵巢轴，关于长期应用口服避孕药对骨密度影响的关注越来越多。但目前关于长期应用口服避孕药对二十多岁年轻女性骨密度影响的数据十分有限，我们研究了为预防子宫腺肌瘤复发而长期应用口服避孕药对年轻女性骨密度的影响。该横断面研究的对象为92名年龄介于20-30岁、行子宫腺肌瘤保守手术且术后应用口服避孕药至少12个月以预防子宫腺肌瘤复发的年轻女性，应用口服避孕药后测量骨密度。研究对象平均年龄为25.6 ± 2.9岁，应用口服避孕药的平均时间为40.7 ± 28.5个月。应用口服避孕药开始骨密度和年龄在任何方面都不具有相关性。此外，骨密度与应用口服避孕药的时间无关，且不同剂量（20 vs 30μg）口服避孕药的骨密度基本相似。结论是长期应用口服避孕药对青春期后期年轻女性的骨密度没有不利影响。

• Bone mineral density
• endometrioma
• oral contraceptive
• peak bone mass