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Adolescent HMO enrollees' utilization of out-of-plan services.

PURPOSE: To examine use of reproductive health services, correlates of out-of-plan care, and reasons for seeking out-of-plan care among adolescent health maintenance organization (HMO) enrollees. METHODS: We mailed a self-administered questionnaire to a population-based random sample of 18-year-old members of Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound (GHC) who had been enrolled for at least 12 months. The sample was selected from GHC's computerized enrollment database. Questionnaire topics included reproductive history, sexual behavior, and use of health services. Analysis included Chi-square tests to examine differences by gender and out-of-plan status and multivariate analysis using logistic regression. RESULTS: About one-half of the 997 respondents (69% response rate) reported using out-of-plan care. In multivariate analysis, the strongest correlate of out-of-plan care was having had sexual intercourse [odds ratio (OR) = 1.84; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.35-2.52]. Other correlates were using alcohol (OR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.29-2.48), living with parents (OR = 0.65; 95% CI =.46-.92), and being female (OR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.21-2.11). During the prior year, over 80% of sexually active respondents had obtained contraceptives out-of-plan and 45% of those tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) reported out-of-plan testing. The primary reasons reported for using any out-of-plan care were lack of convenience (28%), being out of town (26%), and confidentiality (23%; only reported by sexually active respondents). CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of GHC-enrolled adolescents used out-of-plan care. Those who did were more likely to have had STDs and other health problems than those who used only in-plan services. Without continuity of care, these at-risk adolescents may not be receiving optimal services.

Adolescent↗

Efficacy, acceptability, and clinical effects of a low-dose injectable contraceptive combination of dihydroxyprogesterone acetophenide and estradiol enanthate.

A total of 1,904 women, aged 15-38, used an injectable contraceptive combination of 90 mg dihydroxyprogesterone acetophenide with 6 mg estradiol enanthate, given once during each menstrual cycle between the 7th and 10th day, and preferably on the 8th day of the cycle, for a total of 17,576 cycles. Of these 1,904 women, 1,197 completed 12 cycles of use of the injectable combination. One subject became pregnant during the trial, resulting in a cumulative pregnancy rate of 0.07%. Principal reasons for discontinuation were personal, non-medical reasons, such as lost to follow-up, no longer wished to continue, protocol violation, desire to change to another contraceptive method, moved away, or other personal reasons. Mean weight of 1,901 subjects at admission to the trial was 53.5 +/- 0.2 kg and this increased to 54.3 +/- 0.3 kg after 12 cycles of use. Approximately 50% of subjects experienced menstrual bleeding similar to normal throughout the study period. The most frequent menstrual abnormality was irregular bleeding, experienced by approximately one-third of subjects.

Adolescent↗

Teenagers: fertility control behavior and attitudes before and after abortion, childbearing or negative pregnancy test.

Following abortion or delivery, teenagers' knowledge and use of effective contraception improved markedly; but those who had negative pregnancy tests continued to take risks--and to get pregnant--subsequently. Most sexually active teenagers were poorly educated on the facts of reproduction, and began to have intercourse before seeking contraception.

Abortion, Induced↗

A prospective study of immediate initiation of depo medroxyprogesterone acetate contraceptive injection.

Traditional protocols for depo medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) initiation mandate that women start the method during the first 5-7 days of the menstrual cycle. Women who do not have their initial clinic visit during this time period are generally instructed to return to clinic during menses to begin DMPA, which often leaves them insufficiently protected from pregnancy. An alternative approach is to give women the injection immediately during the clinic visit, regardless of menstrual cycle day. In this prospective study, we evaluated a protocol for immediate DMPA initiation among 149 women who presented on cycle day 8 or later. Ninety-two percent (n = 137) of subjects returned for a follow-up pregnancy test, but half of all subjects required multiple reminders to return for the visit. There were three pregnancies. Forty-seven percent (n = 70) continued to a second DMPA injection or another contraceptive method within 14 weeks of their initial clinic visit. Factors associated with returning for repeat injection included satisfaction with DMPA, older age and finding it easy to return for the follow-up pregnancy test visit.

Adult↗

Oral contraception and the risk of thromboembolism: what does it mean to clinicians and their patients?

For four decades the oral contraceptive pill has remained popular with young women because of its convenience and effectiveness. There have, however, been continuing concerns about adverse effects. In the 1960s the risk of venous thromboembolism was linked to the dose of estrogen, which was consequently reduced. Later the risks of arterial disease were linked to progestogen dose, which was also reduced. In 1995, three case-control studies linked the risk of venous thromboembolism, not to dose, but to the type of progestogen. Newer 'third-generation' progestogens appeared to carry a higher risk than older formulations. Although the contraceptive pill was already known to increase the risk of venous thromboembolism 3- to 6-fold, and the risks in the three studies were within this range, the public perception was that a new risk had been discovered. In the UK there were two consequences--a rapid change in prescribing patterns and a sharp increase in the abortion rate. Critics suggested that the studies may have been affected by confounding--e.g. by a 'new user' effect and differential prescribing. Views became very polarised. Between 1995 and 2001 second- and third-generation formulations were compared in 16 studies. Thirteen found that third-generation pills carried a higher risk of venous thromboembolism. Editorials and reviews recommended second-generation pills as the first choice for new users but official advice was that third-generation pills could still be prescribed, provided the risks were explained. Rates of thrombosis, per 100,000 women, are five for nonusers, 15 with second-generation pills and 25 for third-generation pills. The increase in mortality rates is around 1 to 2 per million. Drug-industry sponsored studies tended to find lower risks than independent studies and it was assumed that sponsorship produces bias, conscious or unconscious. It is also possible that some 'independent' researchers, motivated by antipathy to multinational pharmaceutical companies, are biased in the opposite way. Compared with the energy put into this debate, other aspects of pill prescribing remain under-researched. For example, doctors on opposite sides of the Atlantic are given different advice about whether gross obesity (a major risk factor for thromboembolism) is a contraindication to oral contraception. Women in developing countries continue to die of pregnancy-related causes and many deaths could be prevented by effective contraception. Rather than bickering, drug manufacturers and academics should be discussing ways of providing the pill to the women who need it most.

Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal↗

Women's preferences for vaginal antimicrobial contraceptives. I. Methodology.

Sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, and unplanned pregnancies continue to be a serious worldwide problem. A number of organizations are developing woman-controlled vaginal formulations to prevent these problems. However, little information is available regarding the types of products women prefer even though such knowledge is essential to obtain widespread use. This is the first of several articles that describe the results of a consumer preference study for such vaginal formulations performed in Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil. Because no published methodology was available, the instruments and interview techniques were developed first and procedures established for the identification and participation of research subjects. After preparation of a questionnaire, a pilot study was performed to evaluate it, to establish the interview technique, and to determine the optimal method for subject recruitment. Based on the results, the approach was selected and applied to 635 subjects from different age and socioeconomic groups. The developed methodology and questionnaire, the advantages and the problems encountered, are presented.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Improvement in cervical dysplasia associated with folic acid therapy in users of oral contraceptives.

Forty-seven young women with mild or moderate dysplasia of the uterine cervix (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) diagnosed by cervical smears, received oral supplements of folic acid, 10 mg, or a placebo (ascorbic acid, 10 mg) daily for 3 months under double-blind conditions. All had used a combination-type oral contraceptive agent for at least 6 months and continued it while returning monthly for follow-up examinations. All smears and a biopsy obtained at the end of the trial period were classified by a single observer without knowledge of treatment status using an arbitrary scoring system (1 normal, 2 mild, 3 moderate, 4 severe, 5 carcinoma in situe). Mean biopsy scores from folate supplemented subjects were significantly better than in folate-unsupplemented subjects (2.28 versus 2.92, respectively; p less than 0.05). Final versus initial cytology scores were also significantly better in supplemented subjects (1.95 versus 2.32, respectively; p less than 0.05), unchanged in patients receiving the placebo (2.27 versus 2.30, respectively). Before treatment the mean red cell folate concentration was lower among oral contraceptive agent users than nonusers (189 versus 269 ng/ml, respectively; p less than 0.01) and even lower among users with dysplasia (161 versus 269 ng/ml, respectively; p less than 0.001). Morphological features of megaloblastosis were associated with dysplasia and also improved in folate supplemented subjects. These studies indicate that either a reversible, localized derangement in folate metabolism may sometimes be misdiagnosed as cervical dysplasia, or else such a derangement is an integral component of the dysplastic process that may be arrested or in some cases reversed by oral folic acid supplementation.

Adolescent↗

Current contraceptive research and development.

The approval of various new contraceptive products in recent years has resulted in broadening the options available to women. Trends in contraceptive research for hormonal products include variations in dose and dosing regimens, introduction of novel compounds, evaluation of products for noncontraceptive indications, and development of nonoral delivery systems and male contraceptives. Nonhormonal areas of research include microbicidal products, dual protection methods, and contraceptive vaccines. For each of these categories, contraceptive products currently in development and the potential implications for adolescents are discussed. Ongoing contraceptive research and development activity is robust and should ensure the continued availability of various new products for adolescents.

Adolescent↗

Effects of oral contraceptives on carbohydrate metabolism.

Both estrogens and progestogens modify carbohydrate metabolism, and their ultimate effect depends upon the ratio of one to the other. The effect of progestogens themselves, which are responsible for increased insulin secretion and for insulin resistance, varies according to their androgenicity but increases according to the series pregnane, estrane and gonane. In contrast, estrogens impair the initial secretion of insulin by the pancreas. The prolonged use of combined oral contraceptives containing the powerful progestogen levonorgestrel is associated with mild but continuing glucose intolerance and with marked insulin resistance.

Blood Glucose↗

Contraceptive use, fertility, and unsafe abortion in developing countries.

OBJECTIVES: Despite a substantial rise in contraceptive use around the world, unplanned pregnancies and induced abortion continue to occur. Each year an estimated 19 million abortions are carried out outside the legal system, often by unskilled practitioners or under unhygienic conditions. This paper explores the relationship between contraceptive prevalence and unsafe abortion in developing regions with different levels of fertility. These relationships manifest the extent to which the desire to regulate fertility is addressed by contraception or by unsafe abortion, where access to safe abortion is legally restricted. METHODS: Secondary analysis of estimates of unsafe abortion, total fertility rate and contraceptive prevalence, by geographical regions. RESULTS: High levels of unsafe abortion persist even where contraceptive prevalence is increasing and fertility is declining. It appears that a high dependence on sterilization for limiting family size may by be preceded by reliance on unsafe abortion, where abortion is restricted, for birth spacing. CONCLUSIONS: The reliance on unsafe abortion could be reduced during fertility transition by improving women's access to reversible contraceptives for spacing births as well as to sterilization for terminating childbearing. Expanding contraceptive choices and a balanced method mix can serve as an effective strategy to prevent unsafe abortion where reliance on sterilization to limit childbearing is not preceded by the use of reversible modern methods for spacing and where access to safe abortion is restricted by law. The intriguing association between contraceptive method choice and the incidence of unsafe abortion deserves further exploration.

Abortion, Illegal↗

Pathologic effects of oral contraceptives.

The pathologic effects of oral contraceptives have been described in this paper and in other reviews [1, 5, 23, 35, 44, 48, 59, 80, 103, 114]. Approximately 10 million women currently use oral contraceptives in the United States. These drugs are beneficial both to the users and for population control. It is their effect on the health status of women who take them that must continue to have well-organized investigation so that more meaningful conclusions concerning their safety will permit continued use. In some instances, the pathologic effects of oral contraceptives make it necessary that new methods of contraception be found. Intensive research in this area is needed and judiciuos use of oral contraceptives must be maintained. A national registry should be formed to record and investigate the cases of women who die or have adverse reactions while taking these agents. A registry might identify associations no previously known to exist in patients taking oral contraceptives. It would serve to concentrate the data in one area so that more material would be available for the study of pathogenetic mechanisms. It would heighten patient and physician awareness of the untoward effects and increase the responsibilities of the women who take them to monitor their own health.

Blood Glucose↗

The impact of the quality of family planning services on safe and effective contraceptive use: a systematic literature review.

The aim of this review is to identify the features of family planning service provision that are influential in ensuring safe and appropriate contraceptive use and optimal effectiveness of user-dependent methods. A systematic search was carried out of the published and unpublished studies available up to December 1997 that examined the relationship between family planning service provision and contraceptive use. Articles that reported primary data on long-term outcomes were scored by at least two of the authors of the present study. Particular attention was paid to evaluating methods of measuring quality of care. A total of 142 articles were identified, but only 16 reported primary data relating to long-term outcomes. The quality of provider--client exchanges was found to have a net incremental effect on contraceptive use. Evidence of effectiveness of methods to improve uptake, continuation of method use, and safe and appropriate use of fertility control is scant. The evidence that is available indicates that training in communication with clients (particularly about side-effects of contraceptive methods) and an emphasis on client choice are key components of effective interventions. The tasks of listening to clients, and tailoring services to local needs, are crucial to the success of family planning service provision.

Journal Article↗

Current controversies and future direction of oral contraception.

Despite their general use for more than 30 years there is ongoing controversy within the medical community and the lay press about the safety of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). Cervical cancer and breast cancer continue to dominate as controversial issues. Presently, many experts agree that OCPs may accelerate the growth of early breast cancer in certain subgroups of younger women, e.g. with initiation at an early age, before the first pregnancy, when used long term. They do not agree on the profile of the woman at risk, whether this risk continues with older women, and whether the risk is of such significance for certain women that they should not take OCPs. Resolution of issues about risks of dysplasia and invasive cervical cancer will be difficult because of the many variables contributing to causation. It is more of a problem in areas of the world where routine Papanicolaou smears are not available. Controversy continues as to which of the new progestins, norgestimate, desogestrel, or gestodene offers the greatest advantages to OCP users. This is particularly true in the case of gestodene. Only further research will elucidate such questions. There is significant disagreement as to the root causes of high user failure rates with OCPs and how to remedy these. Some experts believe that making OCPs available off prescription and without direct medical supervision is the way to proceed, although other strongly disagree, citing the need to require regular Papanicolaou smears and check-ups to rule out sexually transmitted diseases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Age Factors↗

Iron stores in users of oral contraceptive agents.

A comparison of serum ferritin and other parameters of iron status was made between 46 women taking oral contraceptive agents (OCAs) for two or more years continuously and 71 women who never took OCAs. The mean serum ferritin level for the OCA users was 39.5 +/- 21.5 ng/ml and the control group mean level was 25.4 +/- 15.96 ng/ml, which is significantly different at p less than 0.001. Serum transferrin, serum iron, TIBC, MCH and MCHC levels were significantly greater for the OCA users group. Significantly lower RBC and hematocrit levels were found for OCA users while other parameters, hemoglobin, MCV and percent transferrin saturation, were not significantly different. No major differences in subject characteristics and dietary traits were evidenced, except a difference in reported menstrual cycle losses and a higher heme iron content in the diet of the OCA users.

Adolescent↗

POPs less widely used.

Progestin-only pills (POPs) are less widely used and available than combined pills. For example, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shipped only 3 million packets of POPs worldwide in 1994, compared with 62 million packets of combined pills, according to Mark Rilling, program analyst with USAID's Office of Population. While USAID considers POPs to be an acceptable contraceptive option for some women and intends to continue providing them, the worldwide market for them is small, Rilling says. The London-based International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) reports a similar trend. IPPF shipped 16 times more combined pills than POPs during 1994, says Dr. Carlos Huezo, the organization's medical director. New efforts to clarify the role of progestin-only pills may make them more acceptable. For example, new studies have provided additional evidence that POPs do not harm breastfed infants whose mothers use them. A new label that reflects these findings, and clarifies other distinctions from combined pills, is being developed for POPs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, based on a draft developed by FHI. The pills also are being more actively promoted among some family planning organizations, and may prove useful for community-based distribution.

Contraception↗

Health consequences of vasectomy in India.

Vasectomy acceptance has been declining in India during the past 20 years. Even if the risk of prostate cancer is marginally higher in vasectomized men, this risk in India has to be assessed against the immediate safety and other possible long-term benefits of this procedure. The Indian Council of Medical Research has launched a case-control study, which is unlikely to be time-consuming or beyond the available means and resources, in order to obtain definitive data on this problem. Meanwhile, vasectomy remains an excellent procedure for the couple seeking permanent methods of contraception, and specific efforts to promote its acceptance must continue in India.

Case-Control Studies↗

Longevity of Ortho Creme and Gynol II in the contraceptive diaphragm.

A literature review yielded no scientific basis for the currently accepted recommendations on the length of time spermicides used with diaphragms continue to kill sperm. Twelve volunteers provided 68 spermicide samples representing 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours of in vivo insertion in a contraceptive diaphragm using Ortho Creme, Gynol II, and vehicle controls. Testing for continued spermicidal effect was performed in the laboratory using quality semen from 2 donors and employing the Multiple Exposure Photography system of semen analysis. Results showed effective spermicidal action after 12 hours of insertion, mixed effectiveness after 18 hours, and poor effectiveness after 24 hours with both products, with Ortho Creme being more effective in the longer insertions. Placebo jelly enhanced sperm activity while placebo creme had a moderate inhibitory effect. Recommendations for further study are made.

Adult↗

Knowledge and use of contraception in rural and urban Iraq.

"This paper investigates variation in birth control knowledge and practices in Iraq as reported in the 1974 National Fertility Sample Survey. The descriptive and inferential statistical analysis indicated the existence of significant rural-urban differentials in knowledge and use of contraceptive methods by ever-married women. With the continuation of the war with Iran, the Iraqi government has adopted pro-natal policy to spur population growth. Whether such a policy achieves its goals is a matter deserving further investigation."

Asia↗