Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Artigo Produção Nacional Revisado por pares

BIBTEX RIS

Extended regimens of the vaginal contraceptive ring: cycle control

2009; Elsevier BV; Volume: 80; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.contraception.2009.05.004

1879-0518

Cristina Aparecida Falbo Guazzelli, F. Barreiros, Ricardo Luís Barbosa, Fábio Fernando de Araújo, Antônio Fernandes Moron,

Global Maternal and Child Health

Background Oral contraceptives used for extended periods of time have been extensively studied because of their potential benefits; however, there have been few publications on extended regimen of vaginal rings. The aim of this study was to compare the bleeding patterns of women using extended regimens of the vaginal ring or oral contraceptives. Study Design Prospective cohort involving 150 women: 75 used vaginal rings that release 120 mcg of etonogestrel and 15 mcg of ethinyl estradiol daily, and 75 took oral contraceptives containing ethinyl estradiol 0.3 mcg and desogestrel 150 mcg. Both groups used their respective contraceptive method over continuous periods of 84 days, followed by a 7-day pause, during 1 year. Results The total number of scheduled bleeding and spotting days decreased significantly during the 1-year period of the study for both methods (p=.001), and this decrease was significantly higher for oral contraceptive users. Similarly, during the study period, there was a significant reduction in the total number of unscheduled bleeding and spotting days for both methods (p=.01), but this decrease was significantly higher among vaginal ring users (p=.003). Conclusion Vaginal ring used on an extended regimen is a contraceptive method that offers good cycle control.