US Pharm. 2010;35(9):6.

New York, New York—The birth control pill is equally effective in women regardless of weight, according to findings by physician-scientists at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. The study—the first to compare the pill’s effectiveness in women with significant weight differences—refutes a long-held belief that the pill may not reliably prevent pregnancy in obese or overweight women. Lower and higher dosages of the pill were used. “We wanted to study what was actually happening in the ovaries…and not depend on memory,” stated Carolyn Westhoff, MD, lead investigator. Not only did an equally small number of women ovulate while consistently taking the pill, but the lower-dose pill appeared to be just as effective as the higher-dose pill at suppressing ovulation in obese women, which is important in terms of blood clot risk.

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