Consultant.
No. 4
Contraception:
By JESSICA MILLER, MD and JOHN R. HOLMAN, MD, MPH |
April 1, 2006
Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Dr Miller is a third-year resident in family medicine at Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital in California and a lieutenant in the United States Navy. Dr Holman is adjunct associate professor of medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. He is also program director of the family medicine residency at Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital in California and a captain in the United States Navy. The opinions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense.
ABSTRACT: One of the current trends in oral contraception is to combine newer progestins--such as drospirenone, a spironolactone analog with antimineralocorticoid activity--with the lowest effective dose of estradiol. Another trend is to extend the number of active pills in oral contraceptive (OC) regimens to reduce or avoid symptoms related to hormone withdrawal (eg, headache, dysmenorrhea, hypermenorrhea, and premenstrual syndrome) during the placebo week. The transdermal contraceptive patch and the vaginal ring are as effective as OCs; the patch is associated with better compliance than OCs, and the ring has a lower discontinuation rate than OCs. Extended use of the ring as well as the patch is being studied. A single-rod implant that releases 60 µg of progestin a day for 3 years is expected to be available within a year.
Despite major advances in contraception that occurred during the 20th century, about 49% of pregnancies in the United States are unintended. More than half of these pregnancies end in abortion. 1
In 2000, 54% of women who obtained abortions had used a contraceptive method during the month they became pregnant; the most common methods were male condoms (28%) and oral contraceptives (OCs) (14%). Most of the unintended pregnancies resulted from incorrect or inconsistent use of contraceptives.2Among the remaining 46% of women who had an abortion in 2000, the reasons they gave for not using birth control included concerns about contraceptive methods (32%) and unexpected intercourse (27%).2
Advances in contraceptive technology have resulted in improved compliance and fewer side effects. Here we describe recent developments in hormonal and nonhormonal methods. The Table provides a comparative summary of existing methods.
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Table — A comparative summary of available contraceptive methods
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% of women who had
an unintended pregnancy within the first year |
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Method |
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Typical use |
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Perfect use |
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% of women who continued use at 1 y |
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Risks and side effects |
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No method |
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85 |
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85 |
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— |
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— |
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Spermicides |
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29 |
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15 |
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42 |
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Allergy to spermicide |
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Withdrawal |
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27 |
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4 |
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43 |
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None known
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Periodic
abstinence |
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Unknown |
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1 - 9 |
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— |
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None known |
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Cervical cap with
spermicide: parous/
nulliparous |
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32/16 |
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26/9 |
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46/57 |
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Vaginal and bladder infections, allergy to spermicide |
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Diaphragm with spermicide |
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16 |
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6 |
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57 |
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Vaginal and bladder infections, allergy to spermicide |
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Female condom |
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21 |
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5 |
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49 |
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Difficult to use, vaginal and bladder infections |
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Male condom |
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15 |
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2 |
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53 |
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Decrease in spontaneity,
allergic reactions |
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Combined OC |
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8 |
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0.3 |
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68 |
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Nausea, vomiting, headaches,
dizziness, mood changes,
breast tenderness, spotting,
breakthrough bleeding |
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Patch (Ortho Evra) |
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0.8 |
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0.6 |
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68 |
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Same as OC, application
site reactions |
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Vaginal contraceptive ring
(NuvaRing) |
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0.65 |
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0.3 |
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68 |
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Vaginitis, breast tenderness, spotting, bleeding |
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Depo-Provera injection |
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3 |
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0.3 |
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56 |
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Menstrual changes, weight
gain, headaches, mood changes |
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Monthly injection (Lunelle) |
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Unknown |
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0.05 |
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56 |
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Same as OC, weight gain, bleeding irregularity |
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Copper IUD (Paragard) |
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0.8 |
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0.6 |
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78 |
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Increase in menstrual flow and cramping, risk of perforation and PID after insertion |
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Levonorgestrel-releasing IUD (Mirena) |
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0.1 |
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0.1 |
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81 |
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Irregular bleeding, amenorrhea, risk of perforation and PID after insertion |
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Female sterilization |
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0.5 |
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0.5 |
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100 |
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— |
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Male sterilization |
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0.15 |
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0.1 |
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100 |
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— |
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CLINICAL HIGHLIGHTS
- Despite advances in combination hormonal pill formulations, compliance with oral contraceptive regimens remains a major problem. Among users, 47% missed 1 or more pills per cycle and 22% missed 2 or more.
- The overall failure rate of the transdermal contraceptive patch in a large pooled study was low (0.8%); however, evidence suggests that the patch may be less effective in women who weigh more than 90 kg (198 lb).
- Although patients are instructed to start using the transdermal patch or the vaginal ring after menses, either method can be initiated at any time with 7 days of backup contraception.
- The levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device can cause amenorrhea (occurs in 20% of cycles after 1 year of use); it is used off-label for this "side effect" in menorrhagic women, with a 90% reduction in mean menstrual blood loss.
- Newer methods of natural family planning include fertility monitors and the use of color-coded beads to keep track of fertile days. Studies to determine whether combining newer methods will increase effectiveness are under way; however, the results of a recent Cochrane review were inconclusive, largely because of high discontinuation rates.
Contraceptive Counseling: What to Tell Patients
Women's contraceptive needs vary drastically. They depend on many factors. Ultimately, the best form of contraception is the method that is acceptable to the woman and her partner.
When you discuss contraception with patients, it may be helpful to consider the following:
- Be aware of your own biases. For instance, some providers may not consider an unintended pregnancy in a married affluent woman older than 30 years to be a serious problem, and thus may not offer her emergency contraception or counsel her extensively about compliance and failure rates. Yet, 37% of unintended pregnancies among married women end in abortion.1
- Understand and respect your patient's spiritual and psychological concerns regarding different methods of birth control.
- Ask patients about their past experiences with birth control, particularly about whether they had compliance problems or side effects with the chosen method.
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EventCalendar
- The 5th IVI International Congress: Reproductive Medicine and Beyond by ComtecMed
04-Apr-13 to 06-Apr-13 Seville , SPAIN (GYN - Contraception & Reproductive Health) - 2013 AIUM Annual Convention by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
06-Apr-13 to 10-Apr-13 New York (New York Marriott Marquis Hotel) , NY USA (CME - Medical Education) - Manejo clínico y terapéutico de la esterilidad. Segundo curso online by Fundacio Dexeus Salud de la Mujer
09-Apr-13 to 31-May-13 online , SPAIN(gynecology) - Pediatric Nursing: Care of the Hospitalized Child by Continuing Education Inc.
10-Apr-13 to 13-Apr-13 Anaheim (Hyatt Regency Orange County) , CA USA (CME - Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women's Health) - Medicina fetal Curso-Taller. Curso de Nivel I y II de la SESEGO by Fundacio Dexeus Salud de la Mujer
15-Apr-13 to 17-Apr-13 Barcelona (Auditorio Salud de la Mujer Dexeus) , SPAIN (OB - Maternal Fetal Medicine) - Female Urology & Urogynecology Symposium (FUUS) by Quadrant HealthCom, Inc
18-Apr-13 to 20-Apr-13 Las Vegas (ARIA) , NV USA (CME - Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women's Health) - Female Urology and Urogynecology Symposium (FUUS) 2013 by Quadrant HealthCom, Inc
18-Apr-13 to 20-Apr-13 Las Vegas (ARIA) , NV USA (CME - Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women's Health)
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