DOES THE USE OF CONTRACEPTION REDUCE THE RISK OF PREGNANCY-INDUCED HYPERTENSION

To estimate the impact of the exposure to spermatozoa on the risk of d eveloping pregnancy-induced hypertension, the duration of sexual cohab itation with the father and the use of contraceptive methods were eval uated among 113 primigravid women with pregnancy-induced hypertension and 109 age- and parity-matched controls, The duration of unprotected sexual cohabitation was similar to 50% shorter in women with pregnancy -induced hypertension (2.3 versus 4.7, P < 0.0001), regardless of the contraceptive method previously used. However the duration of oral con traception use was similar in cases and controls (22.1 versus 23.4 mon ths), Also, of the total group of women who developed pregnancy-induce d hypertension, 85.8% (97) became pregnant during the first 3 months o f unprotected sexual intercourse in comparison with 54.1% (59) in the. control group (P < 0.0001). Results suggest that the risk of pregnanc y-induced hypertension in primigravidae is reduced with duration of se xual cohabitation, and therefore with exposure to paternal spermatozoa . However the protective effect of exposure is not achieved while usin g oral contraceptives, Considering the present options for nulliparous women, contraception does not appear to be a viable public health pol icy to reduce the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension.