Abstract

PIP: 115 patients in a university health center were treated with 200 mcg of ethinyl estradiol and 2 mg of norgestrel for postcoital contraception within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse as an alternative to high-dose estrogen administration. No pregnancies occurred. If the treatment was given in the first 15 days of the menstrual cycle, menstrual cycles were shortened, and if given after Day 15, cycles were lengthened. This dosage schedule called for 4 tablets over 12 hours, and the clinician claims that this schedule avoids some of the semantic difficulties associated with the usual treatment of 50-60 tablets of estrogen over 5 days. In addition, anxieties associated with knowledge of ingestion of high-dose estrogens are avoided.