Oral contraceptives and diabetes mellitus

Although it has been shown that in some women glucose tolerance deteriorates when they used oral contraceptives, there is uncertainty about the clinical importance of these changes. In particular, do they predispose users of the contraceptive pill to an increased risk of clinical diabetes mellitus? An earlier report suggested that pill users were not at risk. It has been argued, however, that increased risk may become apparent only after prolonged observations of women who have used the pill for long periods of time. We present the latest findings from the Royal College of General Practitioners' oral contraception study, using data available at May 1989.