Despite the increased interest in evidence-based medicine, many medical guidelines and statements of medical professionals are based primarily on opinion rather than scientific facts. The ‘Statement on combined hormonal contraceptives containing third- or fourth-generation progestogens or cyproterone acetate, and the associated risk of thromboembolism’ raises such concerns.1

While we agree that the importance of effective and well-tolerated contraceptives is indisputable, we must ask for evidence that questioning the safety of newer-generation progestogens compared to older formulations has caused a “new pill scare”, or a “crisis” resulting in a “highly emotional political dimension”.1 The implication that ideology or overreaction rather than scientific analysis underlies …