How do we define the older patient? Traditionally in the contraceptive field doctors have considered that it meant women of 35 and over, as this was the age shown in a large study to be that at which use of the oral contraceptive showed a rise in morbidity in those women who had other risk factors (Royal College of General Practitioners, 1977). The age of 35 had become, as if written in tablets of stone, the age at which use of the oral contraceptive had to be stopped. This view is fortunately changing as we realize that the new low-dose Pills are far safer for the older woman than is pregnancy and that the results of the previous research was based on high-dose pills.
From another point of view, many 35-year-old women would be horrified to be labelled ‘an older woman’. With increasing longevity and health, women continue to feel young well into their 60s and beyond. Many women continue to have regular periods beyond 50 years of age. The increased acceptance of sexuality as a rich part of life, and the desire to enjoy this part of themselves without fear of pregnancy applies as much to older women as to those who are younger.
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