Investigating the association of pregnancy count, oral contraceptive use, and lifestyle with gallstone disease in Chlef, Algeria: A retrospective descriptive study

This study seeks to explore the potential impact and the association between the number of pregnancies, oral contraceptive use, and lifestyle factors including physical activity and stress on the occurrence of gallstone disease (GSD) among 46 women diagnosed with this pathology. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics. Cholesterol gallstones were predominant (76.1%), especially among women aged ≥61 years. A significant association was observed between the number of pregnancies and gallstone type (χ²(3) = 8.887, p = 0.031), with higher parity linked to cholesterol stones. Oral contraceptive use was reported by 60.9% of participants. Psychological stress was frequently reported, with 80.4% of patients experiencing frequent to very frequent stress. Physical activity levels showed a strong association with gallstone type (χ²(2) = 19.967, p < 0.001), with sedentary or occasional activity linked to cholesterol stones. The findings underscore the multifactorial etiology of GSD, indicating that reproductive factors, hormonal contraceptive use, and lifestyle-related behaviors may collectively contribute to its development. Public health strategies focusing on these modifiable risk contributors may help reduce the incidence of GSD in this population.