The influence of oral contraceptives on the frequency of acute appendicitis in different phases of the menstrual cycle.

From the results of the study presented, it can be concluded that, in a group of patients not using contraceptive pills, a significant difference is noted in the frequency of acute appendicitis and the number of appendectomies performed in the different phases of the menstrual cycle. This difference almost disappears in the group of patients using the contraceptive pill. These results suggest that the female sex hormones might have some influence on the biologic nature of acute appendicitis or influence the inflammatory process in the appendix. These findings might help to individualize the approach of the surgeon to the patient with suspected acute appendicitis and influence the clinical strategy. Furthermore, these results might offer some consideration that may lead to future studies on this subject.