Volume 30, Issue 173, July 2026 (Forthcoming Issue)

About the Cover

Hormonal contraception is commonly used around the globe. Although there is no doubt about its effectiveness and additional therapeutic benefits, concerns about potential side effects keep influencing contraceptive choice and continuation. The goal of this narrative review is to summarise current evidence regarding both rare but severe risks: cardiovascular events and breast cancer, as well as more common but less significant side effects: headaches, mood changes, weight gain, and metabolic alterations. In this review, we focused on the following contraceptive methods: combined oral contraceptives, progestin-only pills, and hormonal intrauterine devices. Major medical databases were searched, with a focus on studies that were published within the last 10 years. The studies included were cohort studies, randomized clinical trials, cross-sectional studies, meta-analyses, and reviews. The results show a significant distinction in the profiles of side effects between estrogen-containing and progestin-only methods. Combined hormonal contraceptives have been shown to cause an increase in the frequency of cardiovascular events and migraine episodes. The best researched relation between combined hormonal contraceptives and migraine is hormonal-withdrawal migraine. Combined hormonal contraceptives have also shown unfavorable metabolic changes and an increased risk of breast cancer.

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REVIEW

Common side effects of hormonal contraception: a narrative review of recent studies

Iga B. Borejszo, Agata Leszek, Natalia Moskwa, Małgorzata Lubowiecka, Joanna H. Marczak, Ksenia Kobielak, Katarzyna Marut, Bianka Błaszkiewicz, Zuzanna Lecyk

Hormonal contraception is commonly used around the globe. Although there is no doubt about its effectiveness and additional therapeutic benefits, concerns about potential side effects keep influencing contraceptive choice and continuation

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e117ms3875

Abstract | PDF

Prevalence and associated risk factors of neck pain among musicians: a systematic review

Ewelina Maria Lachowska, Patrycja Anna Bartkiewicz, Wojciech Przemysław Baran, Cyprian Mariusz Janiszewski, Tomasz Wiktor Jędrasek, Adrian Korman, Wafa Al-Batool

Background: Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PRMDs) are very common among musicians due to the repetitive nature of their movements and positions

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e118ms3882

Abstract | PDF

Partial Heart Transplantation: A Narrative Review of a Novel Valve Replacement Strategy

Julia Witkowska, Katarzyna Bielak, Adam Brożyna, Ksenia Jakubiak, Monika Krasoń, Mikołaj Kurczyński, Natalia Kursa, Agnieszka Mackiewicz, Aleksandra Pietrucień, Krystian Woźniak

Partial heart transplantation (PHT) is a new surgical option in pediatric cardiac reconstruction that could address major drawbacks of traditional valve replacement

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e119ms3890

Abstract | PDF