BACKGROUND The rate of unintended pregnancy in the United States is much higher than in other developed nations. Approximately half of unintended pregnancies are due to contraceptive failure, largely owing to inconsistent or incorrect use. METHODS We designed a large prospective cohort study to promote the use of long-acting reversible contraceptive methods as a means of reducing unintended p...

The use of the transdermal contraceptive patch is associated with greater bioavailability of ethinyl estradiol (EE) compared with contraceptive vaginal ring or oral contraceptives (OC). We compared the influences of three contraceptive methods (OC, vaginal ring, and transdermal patch) on serum levels of coenzyme Q(10), alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol and total antioxidant capacity in premeno...

The transdermal contraceptive patch is an innovative contraceptive technology. The failure rate is quite low and has high continuation rate. The side effects and complications are not different from other hormonal contraceptives. This contraceptive method should be an alternative birth control technique for women.

Access to emergency contraception (EC) has little restriction in South Africa. EC is a contraceptive method that can be used by women up to 7 days after unprotected intercourse. It can be used in the following situations: when no contraceptive has been used; for condom accidents; after intrauterine contraceptive device expulsion; when a contraceptive method has been incorrectly used, or contrac...

We investigated the pharmacokinetics and safety profiles of a newly developed combined ethinylestradiol (EE)/gestodene (GSD) transdermal contraceptive patch after a single-dose administration and compared with the market available tablet formulation in healthy adult subjects. An open-label, two-period comparative study was conducted in 12 healthy women volunteers. A single dose of the study com...

This column highlights new resources that clarify knowledge about effects of specific practices in maternal/newborn and women's health. The focus is on new and recently updated systematic reviews and overviews of best research evidence. The column identifies recent additions to three major evidence-based databases: • Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) uses a standardized method to r...

Contraceptive patches have become a frequently used contraceptive method. We present a mathematical model that describes the serum concentration profiles of Norelgestromin (NGMN) and Ethinylestradiol (EE) released from the contraceptive patch Ortho Evra(®). We propose a simple one-compartment model based on pharmacokinetics data reported in previous studies. The model assumes a time-dependent r...