Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2007 Apr;196(4):412.e1-6; discussion 412.e6-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2006.12.015.

Oral contraceptive discontinuation: do side effects matter?

Carolyn L Westhoff  1 , Stephen Heartwell, Sharon Edwards, Mimi Zieman, Gretchen Stuart, Carrie Cwiak, Anne Davis, Tina Robilotto, Linda Cushman, Debra Kalmuss
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Oral contraceptive discontinuation: do side effects matter?

Carolyn L Westhoff et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Apr.

Abstract

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.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Symptom scores among OC continuers and discontinuers
1a. Headache 1b. Moodiness 1c. Weight 1d. Sexual satisfaction 1e. Vision footnote: p-values from Mann-Whitney U test comparing symptoms scores in continuers versus discontinuers.
Figure 1
Figure 1. Symptom scores among OC continuers and discontinuers
1a. Headache 1b. Moodiness 1c. Weight 1d. Sexual satisfaction 1e. Vision footnote: p-values from Mann-Whitney U test comparing symptoms scores in continuers versus discontinuers.
Figure 1
Figure 1. Symptom scores among OC continuers and discontinuers
1a. Headache 1b. Moodiness 1c. Weight 1d. Sexual satisfaction 1e. Vision footnote: p-values from Mann-Whitney U test comparing symptoms scores in continuers versus discontinuers.
Figure 1
Figure 1. Symptom scores among OC continuers and discontinuers
1a. Headache 1b. Moodiness 1c. Weight 1d. Sexual satisfaction 1e. Vision footnote: p-values from Mann-Whitney U test comparing symptoms scores in continuers versus discontinuers.
Figure 1
Figure 1. Symptom scores among OC continuers and discontinuers
1a. Headache 1b. Moodiness 1c. Weight 1d. Sexual satisfaction 1e. Vision footnote: p-values from Mann-Whitney U test comparing symptoms scores in continuers versus discontinuers.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Main reason for stopping the OC
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abma J, Chandra A, Mosher W, Peterson L, Piccinino L. Fertility, family planning, and women's health: New data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat. 1997:23. - PubMed
    1. Osterberg L, Blaschke T. Adherence to medication. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:487–97. - PubMed
    1. Berenson AB, Wiemann CM. Contraceptive use among adolescent mothers at six months postpartum. Obstet Gynecol. 1997;89:999–100. - PubMed
    1. Emans SJ, Grace E, Woods ER, Smith DE, Klein K, Merola J. Adolescents’ compliance with the use of oral contraceptives. JAMA. 1987;257:3377–81. - PubMed
    1. Oakley D, Sereika S, Bogue E. Oral contraceptive pill use after an initial visit to a family planning clinic. Family Planning Perspectives. 1991;23:150–54. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances