Objective
The purpose of this study was to assess self-reported side effects in women after
they received the oral contraceptive (OC) and to compare discontinuation rates, according
to presence or absence of side effects.
Study Design
The study comprised 1716 women aged <25 years who initiated the OC at 3 publicly funded
family planning clinics and completed structured interviews after 3 and 6 months.
Results
Nearly 60% of subjects discontinued the OC by 6 months. Most subjects reported no
changes in headaches, weight, moodiness, and sexual satisfaction during the first
3 months of OC use. Subjects with any complaints, especially women with increased
headaches or moodiness, were more likely to discontinue the OC prematurely. Nonetheless,
most discontinuation occurred for reasons that were unrelated to side effects.
Conclusion
Side effects are absent or mild among most OC users, but women with complaints are
more likely to discontinue. Side effects are less important reasons for discontinuation
than widely believed.
Key words
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Article Info
Footnotes
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant 1RO1-HD42413.
Cite this article as: Westhoff CL, Heartwell S, Edwards S, et al. Oral contraceptive discontinuation: Do side effects matter? Am J Obstet Gynecol 2007;196:412.e1-412.e7.
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Mosby, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
