Oral contraceptives and the risk of venous thromboembolism: An update: No. 252, December 2010

ObjectiveTo provide current and emerging evidence on oral contraceptives and the risk of venous thromboembolism.EvidenceArticles published in English from 2005 were retrieved through searches of PubMed and Medline, using the following terms: venous thromboembolism, VTE, contraception, oral contraceptives, hormonal contraception. Results were restricted to systematic reviews, randomized control trials/controlled clinical trials, and observational studies. Searches were updated on a regular basis and incorporated in the guideline to May 2010. Grey (unpublished) literature was identified through searching the websites of health technology assessment and health technology assessment-related agencies, clinical practice guideline collections, clinical trial registries, and national and international medical specialty societies.ValuesThe quality of evidence was rated using the criteria described by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (Table).