The return of fertility after discontinuation of oral contraception in Malaysian women
Hassan, J.; Kulenthran, A.; Thum, Y.S.
Medical Journal of Malaysia 49(4): 348-350
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0300-5283 PMID: 7674970 Document Number: 295047
A case control study was conducted among all pregnant women attending the prenatal clinic at the University Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during May-October 1989 to determine the return of fertility after discontinuation of the combined oral contraceptive (OC). There were 61 women who had used OCs for at least 6 months before the current pregnancy. The remaining 380 women had not used any contraception at all before the current pregnancy. The former OC users were less likely to have conceived at 3 and 6 months than the controls (56% vs. 66%, and 70% vs. 78%, respectively). Neither difference in conception rates was significant, however (p = 0.15 and 0.20, respectively). At 12 months, the conception rates were 90% for cases and 94% for controls (p = 0.28). At 10 months, among former OC users, nulliparous women were more likely to have conceived than parous women (100% vs. 80%). In fact, at 1 year, 14% of the parous women still had not conceived. These findings show that OC use does not significantly delay return of fertility in this group of Malaysian women.