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

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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

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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

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Current evidence on non-invasive methods for colorectal cancer detection

Jakub Majcherek, Tomasz Karwowski, Maciej Świerczyna, Agata Olecka, Filip Gałązka, Fryderyka Orawczak, Julia Gałązka, Mateusz Mazurek, Mikołaj Kotusiewicz, Zuzanna Czuba

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The annual number of diagnosed cases is estimated at 2 million and is expected to increase

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e120ms3919

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The impact of alternative sources of nicotine on oral cavity health

Adrianna Chachuła, Patrycja Jędrzejewska, Julia Hofmann, Natalia Kruk, Julia Rojek, Izabela Ślusarczyk, Wojciech Szlajss, Szymon Uszak, Daria Wieczorek, Tomasz Szczawiński

From year to year, the popularity of alternative methods of using nicotine like smokeless tobacco, tobacco-free nicotine pouches, or e-cigarettes is increasing

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e121ms3876

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CASE REPORT

Surgical Ventricular Reconstruction and Aortic-Coronary Bypass Grafting in a Patient with Left Ventricular Aneurysm: Case Report and Literature Review

Dominika Wiśniewska, Michał Klimas, Martyna Winiarska, Dominik Jucha, Arkadiusz Jamro, Sabina Krupa-Nurcek

Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disorder in which the heart muscle is unable to pump blood effectively, resulting in an inadequate supply of oxygen and nutrients to tissues (including the heart muscle itself)

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e122ms3862

Abstract | PDF