contraceptives--postcoital and Vascular-Diseases

This article answers some questions about use of emergency contraceptive pills (ECP) in the US. It is acceptable to prescribe ECPs over the telephone. ECPs should not be given to women with severe migraine headaches with neurologic impairment. ECPs are acceptable for women who are smokers and over 35 years old, diabetics with vascular disease, women with a history of severe migraine, and women with a benign or malignant liver tumor. Women who seek ECPs over 72 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse could have ECPs, insertion of a Copper T380 IUD, or Ru-486, when available in the US. Lo-Ovral4+4 is the preferred ECP. Ovral2+2 is less often available and tends to cost more. An ECP prescription might indicate Phenergan (25 mg), 4 tablets, taken between 6 and 7 PM, and repeated in 12 hours. Another ECP prescription might indicate Lo-Ovral (21-pill pack), 4 tablets taken one half hour after anti-nausea medication, and repeated in 12 hours. If nausea is severe from the first or second dose of Lo-Ovral, an extra tablet of Phenergan may be taken. For continued contraception, the patient should be prescribed a low-dose pill and not a 50 mcg pill. The most common transition from ECP combined pills to regular oral contraception is to prescribe 4 tablets followed by 4 tablets 12 hours later, and to start a new package of pills the Sunday after menstruation begins. Nonlapsed pill taking involves taking the 4 tablets, followed by 4 tablets in 12 hours, and 1 tablet taken daily for the next 13 days (with backup contraception the first 7 days), and a lapse for 7 days. Nothing needs to be done for vomiting. Women are not likely to abuse this option. It should be widely known and appreciated that mistakes do happen, emergency contraception does work, and women should be aware of ECPs. 98% of women bleed by 21 days after ECP use. There appears to be no increased risk of birth defects among pill users who become pregnant.

Topics: Americas; Contraception; Contraceptive Agents; Contraceptive Agents, Female; Contraceptives, Oral; Contraceptives, Postcoital; Delivery of Health Care; Developed Countries; Disease; Drug Prescriptions; Family Planning Services; Health Planning; Health Planning Guidelines; Migraine Disorders; North America; Organization and Administration; United States; Vascular Diseases

Over 60 million women use highly efficient and safe modern combined oral contraceptives (OCs) every day. A women who takes the oral contraceptive for 5 years before the age of 30 will actually live 12 days longer, although a woman taking the pill for the 1st time for 5 years after the age of 30 will have her life span reduced on the average by 80 days. OC related morbidity and mortality mostly occur in women over 35 who smoke. Combined low dose OCs are safe for women who do not smoke, at least to 45 years of age and probably to the menopause. The prescription of OCs is also safe to the young adolescent. The pill does not interfere with maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary ovarian axis and does not increase the incidence of amenorrhoea, oligomenorrhoea or infertility in later life. Patients with contraindications to estrogen therapy are excluded from OC use (history of thromboembolism, major heart disease, liver disease, breast cancer). Low-dose (30-35 mcg estrogen-containing monophasic or triphasic) pills are recommended. Combined oral contraceptives contain either ethinyl estradiol (1.7 to 2 times more potent) or mestranol. After absorption the progestagens, norethisterone acetate, ethynodiol diacetate and lynoestrenol are all metabolized to norethisterone. The progestagen-only pill has about a 2% failure rate and poorer cycle control than the combined pill, but it lacks estrogenic, progestagenic and androgenic side effects. This pill is suitable for the lactating mother, for smokers over 35, for hypertensive patients, and for those with a history of thrombosis. The efficacy of the progestagen-only pill is restored in 3 days of pill taking. Postcoital contraception is an alternative: treatment can be given for at least 72 hours after intercourse. The Yuzpe method calls for the patient to take 2 combined oral contraceptive tablets containing levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol (Eugynon or Ovral) followed by a further 2 tablets 12 hours later. This regimen probably reduces the risk of pregnancy about tenfold and it is generally well tolerated.

Topics: Age Factors; Behavior; Biology; Breast Feeding; Contraception; Contraceptive Agents; Contraceptive Agents, Female; Contraceptives, Oral; Contraceptives, Oral, Combined; Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal; Contraceptives, Postcoital; Demography; Disease; Embolism; Endocrine System; Ethinyl Estradiol; Family Planning Services; Health; Heart Diseases; Hormones; Hypertension; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Levonorgestrel; Liver Diseases; Mestranol; Morbidity; Mortality; Norethindrone; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Physiology; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Dynamics; Progesterone; Progestins; Smoking; Thromboembolism; Vascular Diseases

Topics: Congresses as Topic; Contraceptives, Oral; Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal; Contraceptives, Postcoital; Female; Humans; Public Health; Societies, Medical; Vascular Diseases