Hormonal contraceptive agents: a need for pediatric-specific studies.

Adolescents are frequently prescribed hormonal contraceptive agents for both contraceptive and noncontraceptive purposes. Over half of all sexually experienced females aged 15 to 19 have used some form of hormonal contraception: 56% oral contraceptive pills (OCPs), 20% injectable, 14% emergency, 10% patch, and 5% ring. Given that 50% of adolescent girls have been sexually active before age 18, ∼1 in 4 adolescent girls will be exposed to hormonal contraceptives by age 18. Additionally, teenagers are more likely than adult women to use hormonal contraceptives for purposes other than birth control: 33% of adolescents on OCPs use the method solely for noncontraceptive purposes.