Clinical experience with a triphasic oral contraceptive containing ethinyloestradiol and levonorgestrel in Nigerian women

Abstract

The triphasic oral contraceptive pill was only recently introduced into the Nigerian market. The present study was, therefore, undertaken to evaluate the overall tolerance of Nigerian women to one such triphasic preparation (LOGYNON). One hundred women were systematically allocated to three treatment groups--21 days triphasic group (T-21), 28 day triphasic group (T-28) and a 28 days monophasic group (M-28). The patients were observed for a total of 702 cycles over a 12-month study period. The triphasic was effective in preventing conception as no pregnancies were reported during the entire study period. Intermenstrual spotting occurred in 8.9%, 7.0% and 10.1% of patients on T-21, T-28 and M-28 preparations respectively. Similarly, breakthrough bleeding occurred in 2.7%, 3.1% and 5.6% of women respectively for the three groups. The main reasons for discontinuations were headaches (60.0%) raised blood pressure (20.0%), Weight gain (10.0%) and breast discomfort (5.0%). Even though the clinical performance of both the monophasic and the triphasic preparations were very good, the author concludes that the triphasic drug is preferable because of its lower total dose of cyclic hormones and documented evidence of minimal or no effect on various metabolic processes in the body.