Both experimental and epidemiological data support the idea that oral contraceptive (OC) use may have a stimulating effect to a certain point on cervical carcinogenesis. The current investigation tries to answer the question whether OC use might have an influence on early human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. A total of 425 women without abnormal cytological results were examined colposcopically, and filter in situ hybridisation (FISH) was used to determine the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16 and 18. Eighty-one cervical specimens (19.1%) were found to be positive for one or more of the HPV types in FISH. HPV positivity was found to correlate with age and parity, being the highest among women under 25 and with less than two births. The use of OCs was inversely correlated with the presence of ectopy or dysplasia in this group of women. On the other hand, HPV positivity was not significantly higher among OC users than among non-users in any colposcopic group. Neither the type of pill used, nor the duration of use had any significant effect on HPV positivity. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the effects of OC use on more severe HPV-induced cervical lesions.
PIP: The authors investigated whether oral contraceptive (OC) use may influence early human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. 425 women aged 18-58 years of mean age 30.1 years with normal cytological results were examined colposcopically, with filter in situ hybridization (FISH) used to determine the presence of HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18. The women were non-pregnant attendees at a district gynecologic outpatient clinic in Debrecen, Hungary. 81 cervical specimens were found positive for one or more of the HPV types. HPV positivity correlated with age and parity, being the highest among women under age 25 and with less than two births. The use of OCs was inversely correlated with the presence of ectopy or dysplasia in the group, and HPV positivity was not significantly higher among OC users than among non-users in any colposcopic group. Neither the type of pill used, nor the duration of use had any significant effect upon HPV positivity. The authors posit that further investigations are needed to evaluate the effects of OC use upon more severe HPV-induced cervical lesions.