The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7368 p361
24 September 2005

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Oral contraceptives may be associated with delay in MS

Recent use of oral contraceptives may delay the first clinical attack of multiple sclerosis, according to research published last week (Archives of Neurology 2005;62:1362).

Researchers in the US looked at data from 106 cases of MS and 1,001 matched controls recorded in the General Practice Research Database. They found that use of oral contraceptives in the previous three years was associated with a 40 per cent lower risk of MS compared with non-users (odds ratio 0.6, 95 per cent confidence interval 0.4–1.0). Results also suggested that the risk of MS may be lower during pregnancy and is higher for six months after giving birth.

Epidemiological evidence is consistent with a delay in the onset of MS in some users of oral contraception followed by a lack of effects on the overall risk of MS, say the researchers. “These observations could be explained by the oestrogen’s ability to modulate the immune response,” they explain.