British researchers have shed light on the potential relationship between oral contraceptive pills (OCP) and asthma attacks in women. Results from the population-based, cohort research, “Oral Contraceptives and the Risk of Asthma Attacks: A Population-Based Cohort Study,” were published in the European Respiratory Society journal, ERJ Open Research.
The study was designed to evaluate whether the use of oral contraceptives, specifically combined oral contraceptives (COC) and progestogen-only pills (POP), influenced the frequency of asthma attacks. COCs are commonly used by younger women and acutely increase sex hormones.
The study was conducted using data from the U.K.’s Clinical Practice Research Datalink, which includes hospital admission and mortality data. Researchers observed women with asthma between the ages of 18 and 50 from 2004 to 2020. The study cohort was divided into contraceptive pill “never users” (women who did not receive a prescription of OCP in the first 12 months after cohort entry) and “new users.”
Overall, the study found no direct association between the use of COC or POP and the incidence of asthma attacks. However, it did find that the use of exogenous progesterone without an estrogen component was associated with increased asthma attacks in asthma phenotypes, including in women younger than 35 years, with eosinophilic asthma and with lower corticosteroid use.
Researchers noted that the results should encourage clinicians to consider individual patient characteristics when prescribing oral contraceptives to women with asthma.
This study provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between sex hormones and asthma, highlighting the need for personalized medical approaches in managing asthma in women.
