Pharmaceutical safety of the use of combined oral contraceptives (literature review)

Abstract

Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) are currently the most common method of contraception among women of the reproductive age. However, many factors must be considered and analyzed when prescribing these drugs to women. The assessment of the benefi t/risk ratio, i. e. the pharmacosafety of drugs, is an integral part of the analysis of the feasibility of prescribing combined oral contraceptives to certain patients. The purpose of the work – to carry out an analysis of literature data regarding the assessment of the pharmacological safety of the use of combined oral contraceptives. Conclusions. The analysis of literature data on the pharmacosafety of the COCs’use made it possible to establish that the use of these drugs is directly related to the following side eff ects: the development of venous thromboembolism, depression, migraine, arterial hypertension, and the development of oncopathology. It is also necessary to take into account the metabolism of COCs in the woman’s body and, accordingly, the possible interaction with other drugs, especially when their metabolic pathways cross.