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PubMed1996

A comparison of contraceptive habits and pregnancy outcome at 19 years of age in two cohorts of Swedish women born 1962 and 1972.

The prevalence of contraception and pregnancy outcome in two representative samples of 19-year-old women resident in the city of Göteborg, born in 1962 (n = 596) and 1972 (n = 641), respectively, was assessed and compared using a postal questionnaire technique. The prevalence of different contraceptive techniques was as follows (62/72): Oral contraception (OC) alone 44%/35%, (p < 0.001); OC + condom 1%/12%, p < 0.001; intrauterine device 4%/1%, p < 0.001; condom only 11%/14%; depot gestagen 0%/0.3%; no contraception 40%/38%. The median duration of OC use was 15 and 14 months, respectively. Fear of OCs was the commonest reason given for cessation of OC in the 62 cohort and that contraception was no longer required in the 72 cohort. The proportion of women who gave the latter explanation for cessation of OC had increased (p < 0.001) from 10% in 1981 to 57% in 1991, indicating that young women in Sweden now tend not to continue with OCs when a relationship ends. Although the prevalence of cigarette smoking was reduced (p < 0.05 in the 72 cohort compared to the 62 cohort), there was still an over-representation of smokers in both cohorts among contraceptive users (p < 0.001) and in women who had been pregnant (p < 0.001) or undergone an abortion (p < 0.001). Pregnancies were reported by 11% of the women from the 62 cohort and by 13% from the 72 cohort. A greater proportion (p < 0.001) of pregnancies terminated in legal abortion in the 72 cohort (61%) compared to the 62 cohort (50%). The medical complication rate following legal abortion was lower (p < 0.05) in the 72 cohort compared to the 62 cohort.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMed1996

Detailed analysis of menstrual bleeding patterns after postmenstrual and postabortal insertion of a copper IUD or a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system.

Detailed information on the menstrual bleeding patterns in users of copper-releasing intrauterine devices (IUDs) and levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine systems (IUSs) is lacking. Even less is known about the menstrual bleeding patterns associated with postabortal insertion of IUDs. We postulated that the scarcity of IUD studies including detailed analysis of bleeding could be a result of the lack of an easy-to-use computer program designed for this purpose. We therefore developed a set of graphical user interface (Windows) programs for entering, editing, and analyzing menstrual diary data. With these programs, we reanalyzed the menstrual diaries of the subjects of one of the hospital clinics that participated in a previous multicenter study comparing copper IUDs and LNg IUSs. The group included patients who had the IUD inserted postabortally. Copper IUD users had patterns of bleeding that were stable over time, and clearly more bleeding than LNg IUS users, many of whom had either infrequent bleeding, bleeding completely replaced by regularly occurring spotting, or amenorrhea. Postabortal insertion of LNg IUSs was associated with slightly better patterns of bleeding than postmenstrual insertion. Detailed statistics on bleeding help clinicians in counseling patients regarding these methods. The statistics permit assumptions to be made about the probabilities of specific menstrual disturbances and their changes over time.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1996

IUD users in Norway are at low risk for genital C. trachomatis infection.

From May 1993 to April 1995, 30 general practitioners located at 13 general practice settings in the city of Trondheim, central Norway, recruited 957 eligible participants in a prospective use-effectiveness study on performance of two copper IUDs. In this report we focus on screening for C. trachomatis at insertion and its possible effect on cause-related terminations during the first 90 days after insertion. All women were screened at IUD insertion for C. trachomatis. All specimens were analyzed applying a nucleic acid test (rRNA, GenProbe). Five out of 957 women (0.5%) were positive for C. trachomatis. All were treated within two weeks of diagnosis. No cases of pelvic inflammatory disease were diagnosed during the first three months of the study. Screening of C. trachomatis at IUD insertion is not recommended in Norwegian women because of the extremely low prevalence of C. trachomatis in those who choose IUD as their primary contraceptive method. Recommendations for universally screening women for sexually transmitted diseases at IUD insertion should be based upon review of local/national prevalence data.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Pharmacokinetics of mifepristone after low oral doses.

Relatively low doses of the antiprogestin mifepristone (RU 486) have recently proven to be efficient for a variety of possible clinical uses of the drug. However, the pharmacokinetics after low single oral doses have not been characterized. We evaluated the pharmacokinetics of mifepristone following single ingestion of 2 and 25 mg in five women as well as repeated ingestion of 8 mg in two women. Maximal serum concentrations were reached rapidly (within 0.5-2 h) with all doses used. Serum mifepristone concentrations were proportional to the oral doses taken. The mean (+/- SD) areas under the concentration curves (AUCs) (0-24 h) were 1134 (+/- 144), 4846 (+/- 64), and 17,015 (+/- 4,421) h x ng/mL following 2, 8, and 25 mg doses, respectively. No cumulative increases in serum concentrations were detected with prolonged daily administration of 8 mg of mifepristone. The study subjects appeared to vary in their ability to metabolize mifepristone, as two different half-lives (t1/2) emerged after both 2 and 25 mg single doses (24.2 +/- 0.6 [SD] h for three subjects; and 44.4 +/- 1.8 [SD] h for two subjects). We conclude that within the dose range of 2-25 mg/day, the pharmacokinetics of mifepristone are linear, unlike those seen following ingestion of higher daily doses. Keeping in mind previously published data on the biological effects of low dose mifepristone administration, these data infer that certain effects of the drug, such as inhibition of ovulation, might be achieved at serum concentrations of approximately 100 ng/mL.

Abortifacient Agents, Steroidal↗
PubMed1997

Increased number of induced abortions in Norway after media coverage of adverse vascular events from the use of third-generation oral contraceptives.

After the press release in Lancet (October 18, 1995) of increased risks for adverse vascular events in users of pills containing desogestrel and gestodene the total sales of oral contraceptives dropped over a two-month period by 17%, while sales of the only desogestrel brand available (Marvelon) dropped by over 70% in Norway. From sales, we can estimate that more than 45,000 women either changed from Marvelon to a second or first-generation brand or stopped using OCs. In total, more than 25,000 women discontinued OC use in Norway during November and December of 1995. Abortion data from one Norwegian county, representing 6-7% of the Norwegian population, show no statistically significant changes in the total number of induced abortions from the first quarter of 1996 as compared with that of the first quarter in preceding years. However, abortion rates that had been steadily decreasing from 1992 through 1995 in women 24 years old or younger, were promptly interrupted by a significant 36% increase during the first quarter of 1996. Most of the additional cases were found among single, childless students. The observed increased abortion rate among younger women is most probably linked to changes in contraceptive use during the pill scare of the late October through December of 1995, during which time these women conceived.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1997

Knowledge and use of hormonal emergency contraception in Finland.

We studied the knowledge and use of hormonal emergency contraception (EC) in Finland by mailing a questionnaire to a national sample of 3000 women aged 18-44 years (response rate 74%). Ten percent of the women aged under 25 and 4% of all respondents had sometimes used EC. Unmarried women were more likely to report having used hormonal EC than were married women, and nulliparous women reported more use than did parous women. However, no statistically significant difference in EC use among women with or without previous abortion history was observed. Older women were less aware of EC than of other methods; only one-third of the women aged over 35 knew about this method. Current contraceptive practices were otherwise similar among ever-users and never-users of EC, but EC users more commonly reported using condom together with oral contraceptives or IUD. Nobody reported using EC as her only contraceptive method. Our findings suggest that EC is appropriately used in Finland, but more information about use of the method is still needed.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1997

Determinants for contraceptive use in young, single, Danish women from the general population.

Determinants for contraceptive use were studied in 5031, non-pregnant women aged 20-29 years from the general population in Denmark. Most women (72%) had never been pregnant, 34% had a history of a sexually transmitted disease, and 22% had ever had a legal abortion. Current contraception was most frequently condoms (60%) or oral contraceptives (33%). Among the women who used OCs or IUD, 32% reported additional condom use (double contraception). Important predictors of using one contraceptive method were lifetime number of sexual partners, parity, and age at first sexual intercourse for condoms and age for oral contraceptives. Also, women with a previous legal abortion were more likely to use condoms currently and women with a history of STDs were less likely to use condoms, but more likely to use OCs. Lifetime number of sexual partners was the only predictor of double contraception. Our data suggest a potential for reducing the number of unintended pregnancies and STDs in single women by increasing the information about the double principle in contraception.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1997

Birth control: some experiences from Denmark.

This article discusses that an effective birth control exists in Denmark today. Birth control is considered as a means for the couple not only to reach the wished-for family size by limiting their number of children but also to decide when to have children. Since 1973, women in Denmark can have an induced abortion on request before the end of the 12th week of pregnancy. An increasing proportion of women applying for induced abortion have no children, indicating that induced abortion is a means to obtain an effective postponement of first birth. The paper concludes that birth control is primarily accomplished by use of contraceptives and as an effect of widespread use, teenagers have managed to diminish their total rate of pregnancy rather dramatically.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1997

Contraceptive use in women with bacterial vaginosis.

The aim of the study was to investigate if bacterial vaginosis (BV) is associated with use of specific contraceptives. Women at family planning and youth clinics (n = 956), among whom 131 had BV, were subjects for structured in-depth interviews including current and previous contraceptive use. Variables measuring sexual risk-taking were ascertained. Current users of contraceptives were compared with non-users. Both oral contraceptive (OC) and condom use showed a significant protective effect against BV, adjusted for possible confounders (odds ratios were 0.4 and 0.3, respectively). Intrauterine device use (IUD) showed no association with BV. Women with BV had less often used any contraceptives, including condom, at their sexual debut than the women in the comparison group. In this study, OC and condom use seemed to exert a protective effect against BV, whereas no effect for IUD use was found.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

A longitudinal study of birth control and pregnancy outcome among women in a Swedish population.

The prevalence of contraception and pregnancy outcome in the same women, at 19, 24, and 29 years of age, was assessed in a longitudinal cohort study using a postal questionnaire technique. A one-in-four random sample of all women born in 1962 and resident in the city of Göteborg in 1981, was obtained from the population register (n = 656). Respondents from 1981 were re-assessed in 1986 and 1991. Four hundred thirty women (66%) answered the questionnaire on all three occasions and are included in the analysis. Contraceptive usage was as follows (at 19, 24, and 29 years of age, respectively): oral contraception (OC) 47%/51%/22%; intrauterine device 3%/11%/19%; barrier methods 12%/12%/20%; depot gestagen 0/0.2%/0.4%; no contraception 39%/26%/25%. OCs had been taken at some time by 93%. Reasons give for cessation of OC were: contraception not required 10%/21%/20%; fear of OC 28%/32%/35%; menstrual disorder 17%/13%/14%; weight increase 20%/16%/15%; mental side effects 14%/ 21%/20%; desire to become pregnant 7%/33%/52%. Pregnancy outcome was as follows: Ever pregnant 17%/42%/ 71%; children 5% had 1-2 children/27% had 1-3 children/ 59% had 1-5 children; 12%/25%/30% > or = 1 legal abortion; 3%/8%/15% > or = 1 miscarriage; and > or = 1 ectopic pregnancy 0.2%/1.2%/2.1%. On all three survey occasions, more than 97% of the legal abortions were performed < or = 12 weeks gestation. The complication rate following legal abortion was 7%. The proportion of live births to the total number of pregnancies was 25%, 45%, and 61%. The relationship between method of contraception, history of pregnancy, legal abortion, and smoking habits was analyzed in detail. Despite the availability of effective contraception, the ratio of legal abortions to live births was high. Fear of side effects was the commonest reason for discontinuing OC.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Colposcopic evaluation of a vaginal gel formulation of iota-carrageenan.

There is an urgent need to develop safe, effective, and acceptable vaginal products for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. Preliminary in vitro results suggest that vaginal formulations of sulfated polysaccharides, including iota-carrageenan, have the potential to block mucosal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Twenty-five women in five sites participated in Phase I trials to evaluate the safety of a formulation containing iota-carrageenan (PC 213). The results of this study indicate that a 5 mL 2% gel formulation of iota-carrageenan is not associated with significant irritation of the female reproductive tract when administered once daily in the absence of sexual intercourse. Given the small number of participants in this initial study, careful observation for potential irritation must also be included in larger studies of this and other vaginal formulations.

Administration, Intravaginal↗
PubMed1998

Identification of choriocarcinoma by the hCG beta-to-hCG proportion in patients with delayed diagnosis caused by contraceptive use.

The use of contraceptives, especially subdermal implants and levonorgestrel-containing intrauterine device (IUD), often cause irregular bleeding. Thus, they may mask unsuspected choriocarcinoma, which also often presents with abnormal bleeding. Choriocarcinoma is mostly curable with combination chemotherapy, but delayed diagnosis can lead to treatment failure. Two cases of choriocarcinoma with considerable delay in diagnosis, due partly to contraceptive use, are reported. The proportion of human chorionic gonadotropin-beta (hCG beta) and total hCG immunoreactivity showed that the proportion of hCG beta was elevated at presentation in both cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Contraceptive methods: knowledge sources rated by women and men.

People today live amid a welter of information regarding contraception, and health care professionals have been the most prominent sources to which people turn. This study evaluates the relative importance of various information sources and ascertains the position of the physicians among them. Random samples (393 women and 395 men) were drawn from the Finnish population. Response rates were 56% for women and 45% for men. The respondents were asked to estimate the amount of knowledge they had obtained from various sources on a visual analog scale. The three most important sources for women were literature, physicians, and women's journals. For men, literature and the spouse/partner were the most prominent. The youngest age groups--women and men alike--had received more information from the school nurse and the teacher than older groups. Physicians have a central role as information sources. They should be aware of other information sources in the community and should adapt their own work accordingly.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Ovulatory potential of preovulatory sized follicles during oral contraceptive treatment.

The ovulatory potential of preovulatory follicles was studied in five women taking monophasic gestodene pills containing 20 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol. After one normal pill cycle, follicles were allowed to grow to 16 mm in diameter by deliberate extension of the pill-free period. Once the size of the leading follicle reached 16 mm, the women resumed oral contraceptives for the following 21 days to investigate whether ovulation can be inhibited by late onset of the pill. In addition, 100 micrograms of gonadotropin releasing hormone analog was given intravenously on the third pill day to induce ovulation. Follicular growth and activity were monitored by ultrasonography and by serum concentrations of ethinyl estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone from the last pill day of the first cycle until the end of the second pill intake of 21 days. An increase in luteinizing hormone secretion started before intravenous administration of a gonadotropin releasing hormone analog in all women, eventually leading to ovulation in four of five women. One woman developed an unruptured follicle. Thus, the ovulatory potential of a 16-mm functional follicle cannot be inhibited by reintroduction of pills containing 20 micrograms ethinyl estradiol and 75 micrograms of gestodene.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Concentrations of copper in human secretions and weight of the copper wire during the 4 to 7 years after insertion of a Cu-IUD (intrauterine device).

The useful life span of the two most commonly used copper intrauterine devices (Cu-IUDs) (Gravigard and Cu-T) was investigated in a long-term study up to 90 months after insertion. Minor differences between the two types of devices were found that, however, probably do not contribute to a diverging contraceptive efficacy with time. To be able to ensure maximal contraceptive effect, the authors suggest on the basis of the present data that the time of use not exceed 5 to 6 years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Sex hormone profiles in oligomenorrheic adolescent girls and the effect of oral contraceptives.

The hormonal profiles and the effect of oral contraceptives (OCs) on 16 oligomenorrheic and 10 regularly menstruating adolescent girls were studied. Testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, prolactin, and sex-hormone-binding globulin were determined on blood samples obtained during a control cycle, during OC treatment, and during the follow-up cycle after discontinuation of OC use. The oligomenorrheic girls had significantly higher concentrations of androstenedione and total and free testosterone than regularly menstruating girls during the control cycle. Sex-hormone-binding globulin concentrations were significantly lower in the oligomenorrheic group. Both in oligomenorrheic and regularly menstruating girls OC treatment caused a decrease in the mean concentrations of all hormones, except prolactin, to similar levels. For 2 to 4 weeks after treatment the oligomenorrheic girls had significantly lower levels of androstenedione, total and free testosterone, and luteinizing hormone than before treatment. In the control group there were no significant differences between pretreatment and posttreatment hormone concentrations. The risks and benefits of prescribing OCs for oligomenorrheic adolescent girls are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Oral contraceptives in diabetic women: metabolic effects of four compounds with different estrogen/progestogen profiles.

The metabolic effects of four oral contraceptives with different estrogen/progestogen profiles (monophasic nonalkylated estrogen/norethindrone, low-dose monophasic ethinyl estradiol (EE2)/norethindrone, progestogen only treatment with norethindrone, and triphasic EE2/levonorgestrel) were examined in insulin-dependent diabetic women. During the 6-month study period, no differences were found in fasting plasma glucose, 24-hour insulin requirements, glycated hemoglobin, free fatty acids, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio between the patients in each treatment group. Compared with the nonalkylated estrogen/norethindrone and the triphasic EE2/levonorgestrel formulations, the low-dose EE2/norethindrone combination resulted in small but significant increases in plasma triglyceride and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (P less than 0.01), which seemed unfavorable from a clinical point of view. Norethindrone-only treatment appeared to be an appropriate alternative to both the nonalkylated estrogen/norethindrone combination and the triphasic EE2/levonorgestrel formulations.

Adolescent↗