Birth control pills are a common way to prevent pregnancy in the United States. Nearly two-thirds of women in the United States use a form of contraceptive, of which 14% take birth control pills. 12% of women aged 15-44 struggle with infertility in the United States. This study focused on the effects of birth control pills on infertility. The literature surrounding this topic has conflicting results and the studies are outdated. PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the association between women taking birth control pills and their ability to get pregnant within a year of trying. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of NHANES data from 2017-2018 and it examined women aged 18-40. 1,071 participants were randomly selected from the non-institutionalized United States. They then completed surveys and at-home interviews. The outcome of interest was infertility and the exposure variable was taking birth control pills. The confounding variables age, weight, race, and access to health care were also considered. RESULTS: The women had a mean age of 28.5 ± 6.8. There was a statistically significant association between infertility and birth control pill usage (p=0.044). Women taking birth control pills had a 66% increased odds of becoming infertile than women who did not take birth control pills. CONCLUSIONS: There is an association between taking birth control pills and infertility. Future research could include studying the association between infertility and different doses of birth control hormones. This topic is relevant in our future careers because we are going to be Physician Assistants and work in the field of Public Health. Reproductive and Women’s health are important topics in the field of health care.
Authors: Morgan Meleca, Lauren Richardson, Bria Smith
Advisor: Saruna Ghimire, Sociology and Gerontology
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