HOSPITAL REFERRAL FOR HEADACHE AND ORAL-CONTRACEPTIVE USE - FINDINGS IN A LARGE COHORT STUDY

Referral to hospital far migraine or for unspecified headache was exam ined among the 17 000 women taking part in the Oxford-Family Planning Association contraceptive study. There was little evidence of any adve rse effect of oral contraceptive use on referral rates for either diso rder although the relative risk of referral for migraine among current or recent users in comparison with non users was just statistically s ignificant (relative risk 1.4; 95 per cent confidence interval 1.1-1.9 ). A substantial minority of women continued to take oral contraceptiv es despite hospital referral for migraine or unspecified headache. One woman referred to hospital with migraine developed a transient ischae mic attack two and a half years later while two women referred for uns pecified headache subsequently suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage aft er intervals of six years and 18 1/2 years.