AIMS To determine the extent of combined oral contraceptive use by girls aged 10-16 years in Scotland. METHODS Assessment of combined oral contraceptive prescribing in 35 414 girls for the year 1 November 1999-31 October 2000 from data retrieved from 161 primary care practices taking part in the Scottish Programme for Improving Clinical Effectiveness in Primary Care, and from national aggrega...

INTRODUCTION Emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) were developed and marketed with the emergency aspect firmly in mind, but research and anecdotal evidence indicate that some women use them as a form of regular contraception, spurring efforts in the reproductive health community to explore the development of a coitally-dependent oral contraceptive pill. METHODS We asked women of reproductive ...

The first suggestion that oral contraception might be responsible for cerebral vascular disease was made by Lorentz (1962), when he described the case of a young woman who had been taking the contraceptive pill norethynodrel (Enavid) and had developed a left parietal vascular lesion. Other authors subsequently reported similar cases. Walsh et al. (1965) were the first to prove that the underlyi...

A survey has shown that many women favour eliminating menstruation and it has been suggested that therapeutic induction of amenorrhoea might be an advantage in female personnel mobilised for war. The traditional method has been to take the oral contraceptive pill continuously. This produces weight gain and other side-effects; spotting and breakthrough bleeding can be a problem initially. The me...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the frequency of cytohistologic discrepancy of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) in Pap smears and associated factors. METHODS Medical records of 223 women with HSIL Pap smears who were treated at Thammasat University Hospital were reviewed. Data on age, parity, menopausal status, contraceptive use and colposcopic directed biopsy and loop electrosurgic...

OBJECTIVE To estimate how number of oral contraceptive pill packages dispensed relates to subsequent pregnancies and abortions. METHODS We linked 84,401 women who received oral contraceptives through the California family planning program in January 2006 to Medi-Cal pregnancy events and births conceived in 2006. We compared pregnancy rates for women who received a 1-year supply of oral contra...

Combined oestrogen-progestin oral contraceptives cause venous thromboembolism in women of reproductive age. Healthcare providers typically rely on women’s characteristics, medical history and family history to select the most appropriate contraceptives, in an effort to reduce risks of venous thromboembolism. This position paper discusses the use of a new prediction tool (Pill Protect®), availab...