Barrier Contraceptives Not Tied to Pregnancy Illness, Study Says

A new study has found no connection between barrier-type contraceptives such as condoms and an illness of pregnancy that can impair fetal development and lead to premature birth.

The findings, reported in today’s Journal of the American Medical Assn., contradict those of an earlier study that linked preeclampsia, or toxemia, in pregnant women to the use of barrier contraceptives.

“We believe that women should be advised that barrier contraceptives were associated with no increased risk for preeclampsia,” Dr. James L. Mills of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development wrote of the most recent study.

Mills wrote that women should feel free to use barrier contraceptives without fear of the disease.

Preeclampsia occurs in about 7% of pregnancies. Untreated, it can cause a woman to have seizures. In rare cases, it is fatal to the fetus or the mother. It is characterized by high blood pressure, fluid retention and protein in the urine.

In December, 1989, researchers reporting on a study at the University of North Carolina’s School of Public Health said women who used a barrier contraceptive before they decided to have a child were more than twice as likely as other women to develop preeclampsia.

Both Mills’ report and the earlier one called for further research to resolve the question.