Angelika Bátorová, Tatiana Prigancová, Denisa Jankovičová, Anna Kyselová
Hormonal contraceptives are important and very effective drugs that play an essential role in reproductive medicine. However, since the beginning of their use, there is an increased risk of venous thromboembolism, which is the highest in the first months of use. New contraceptives with low estrogen content in combination with various types of progestogens have been developed to minimize thrombotic complications. The effect of estrogens and progestogens on the haemostatic system does not seem to be eliminated. The current formulations of combined oral contraceptives carry a 2-4 fold increase in venous thromboembolism risk, which, however, is still lower than in pregnancy and especially in the puerperium. The overall incidence of venous thromboembolism in a contraceptive user is very low. Therefore, they are generally considered to be very safe medicines whose benefit greatly outweighs the risk of side effects. Nevertheless, prescription of hormonal contraceptives is subject to very strict rules, which comprehensively take into account, for each woman, all factors that could contribute to an increased risk of thromboembolism.