Women who take Pill at lower risk of arthritis

WOMEN taking the contraceptive pill are less likely to suffer arthritis, research has found.

The study by scientists in Sweden showed that taking the Pill, particularly for seven or more consecutive years, is linked to a lowered risk of developing the crippling condition.

Despite many theories to the contrary, no significant evidence was found to link breastfeeding to a reduction in the risk of arthritis, which is up to three times as common in women as it is in men.

It is thought that hormonal and reproductive factors may partly explain the gender difference.

The researchers looked at the possible link between the development of arthritis, use of the Pill and breastfeeding among adult women who had had at least one child.

Study author Doctor Camilla Bengtsson, of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, said: “Using the Pill for more than seven years – the average length of use among the study participants – was associated with a 19 per cent lower risk of developing arthritis.”

During the study period – between 1996 and 2014 – 2,809 women were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Women who had used an oral contraceptive at any time had a lower risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis than those who had never done so.