Background: Unintended pregnancy remains a major challenge to the reproductive health of women especially in the developing countries. It is a major reason for unsafe abortion, a major contributor to maternal mortality. Aim: This study was designed to assess the knowledge and practice of emergency contraception among female non‐medical undergraduates. Subjects and Methods: In this cross section...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The association between combined oral contraceptives (OC) use and increased risk of stroke has been reported. While progestogen-only contraceptives (POC) are commonly used worldwide, their impact on cardiovascular disease remains unclear. METHODS A meta-analysis based on EMBASE and MEDLINE referenced literature corresponding to OCs marketed since 1960 was carried out. E...

OBJECTIVE Drospirenone (DRSP) is a progestogen derived from spironolactone with antimineralocorticoid action that seems to exert a favorable effect on blood pressure (BP); however, when associated with ethinylestradiol (EE), this effect does not seem to occur. This study aimed to assess possible differences in BP associated with the use of combined oral contraceptives containing DRSP with diffe...

We carried out a retrospective cross-sectional study on 500 women in Isfahan who started taking combined oral contraceptives (COCs) during the period 21 March 1995-20 March 1997. The cumulative continuation rate fell from 77% to 12% over 60 months. The most common reason for discontinuation was side-effects. There was a significant correlation between side-effects and cumulative COC continuatio...

BACKGROUND There is a need to increase our knowledge regarding the influence of combined oral contraceptive (COC) use on individual weight change in the long term. The first aim of this study was to assess the long-term influence of COC's on body weight, and the second aim was to describe body weight increase during the fertile period. METHODS Postal questionnaires regarding weight/height, co...

Combined oral contraceptives In the UK combined oral contraceptives (COCs), containing both oestrogen and progestogen, are the most popular method of contraception for women under age 30. The most common oestrogen used is ethinyl estradiol (EE), in doses between 20 and 35μg. Progestogens are classified according to their steroid structure and the timing of their introduction on to the market. T...

Third generation oral contraceptives (OC), containing the progestins desogestrel and gestodene, were introduced in the 1980s in a attempt to lower the risk of cardiovascular side effects. However, the observation that desogestrel and gestodene in combined OC were related to a 50 to 100% greater risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) suggested that the issue is more complex than originally thought...

Adverse effects of hormonal contraceptives usually diminish with continued use of the same method. Often, physi- cians only need to reassure patients that these symptoms will likely resolve within three to five months. Long-acting injectable depot medroxyprogesterone acetate is the only hormonal contraceptive that is consistently associated with weight gain; other hormonal methods are unlikely ...

The incidence of ovarian neoplasms and functional ovarian cysts diagnosed at laparotomy or laparoscopy among the 17,000 women taking part in the Oxford Family Planning Association contraceptive study was investigated. Epithelial cancer of the ovary was only 25% as common among those who had ever taken oral contraceptives as those who had never done so (95% confidence interval 8% to 67%). There ...