The use of emergency contraceptives (EC) to prevent unwanted pregnancies when effective contraception has not been used is universally acknowledged. A study looked at the knowledge and practices of emergency contraception in 476 women in the reproductive age in Ghana. Knowledge and usage of EC applied to 57% and 41% of participants, respectively. Knowledge was independent of age (p = 0.26), mar...

Recently, mainstream English-language news organisations have been reporting that a 'male pill' will soon be available. A common theme running through many published articles is that women will not trust men to use these new male contraceptives, though rarely is evidence provided to support this claim. In order to understand this disconnect between women's distrust for men as a group and their ...

Published data on the relative safety of second and third generation oral contraceptives (OCs) is critically assessed. The original four studies published in 1995/1996 and their conclusions are examined in detail, including comments made by other investigators. Each study has advantages and flaws which are balanced in detail. Newer studies are then examined in the same manner. All recent papers...

Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) are highly effective when correctly used but unscheduled bleeding, which occurs fairly commonly during the early months, is disruptive for many women. The mechanisms underlying this bleeding are not fully understood. Several studies have shown that extended-cycle or continuous-use COCs are typically associated with higher initial rates of unscheduled bleeding...

Although fertility declines with advancing age as the woman approaches the menopause, some risk of pregnancy persists, and effective contraception needs to be offered to avoid an unintended pregnancy. An older woman may have menstrual dysfunction or climacteric symptoms and these factors would need consideration when making the choice of contraception. Low-estrogen dose combined oral contracept...

Venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) represent a serious complication related to hormonal contraception and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Evidence on hormonal contraceptive- and HRT-related VTEs is derived almost exclusively from observational studies and points to a 2- to 6-fold increased relative risk of VTEs with either therapy. Oral contraceptive pills that contain third-generation prog...

Background: The combined oral contraceptive pill is an extremely effective method of contraception that also confers health benefits beyond pregnancy prevention. Oral contraceptive users have been found to have significantly higher total lung capacities when compared with nonusers. Methods: This study was carried out in Family Planning Centres at social obstetrical unit Baqai Medical University...

BACKGROUND: Contraceptive and sociodemographic risks of repeat induced abortion have not yet been interpreted in Central Eastern Europe. METHODS: A consecutive series of women requesting initial (n=647) or repeat (n=553) artifi cial abortion were surveyed by means of a questionnaire at a Hungarian university teaching hospital in Szeged, in 2005 and 2006. Self-reported demographic characteristic...

During perimenopause, i. e. immediately prior to menopause until the end of the first year after a woman’s last menstruation, fertility has not entirely ceased. Ovulation may occur spontaneously thus effective contraception is still necessary especially if a pregnancy is not desired. No contraceptive method is contraindicated only because of the advanced age.Therefore, perimenopausal women can ...

The study was carried out to review the experience with the existing user-fee (pricing) strategies and examine the socioeconomic and demographic factors associated with payment behaviour among contraceptors in urban Bangladesh for selected contraceptive methods, such as injectables, pill, and condom. Data for the study were drawn from a survey of more than 5,000 married women of reproductive ag...