Acceptability of an oral contraceptive that reduces the frequency of menstruation: the tri-cycle pill regimen.

Abstract

Acceptability of an oral contraceptive that reduces the frequency of menstruation: the tri-cycle pill regimen British Medical Journal, 1977, 2, 487-490 Summary The frequency of menstruation was reduced to once every three months in 196 women by the continuous administration of the oral contraceptive pill, Minilyn, for 84 days (tri-cycle regimen). No pregnancies occurred. One hundred and sixty-one women (82%) welcomed the reduction in the number of periods with the as- EHl 2QW A L GUILD, MA, research technician R V SHORT, SCD, FRS, director sociated freedom from menstrual and premenstrual symptoms, and many. found the tri-cycle regimen easier to follow. Weight gain -of more than 2 kg, irregular cycle control, especially in the -first three months, breast tenderness, and. headaches were the main side effects. Menstrual loss was unchanged or reduced in all but seven women. The doctors and nurses on the clinic staff were less-enthusiastic about this regimen than the volunteers themselves.

New regimens with combined oral contraceptive pills – moving away from traditional 21/7 cycles

“…The authors commented that 'the majority of women (82%) welcomed the associated freedom from menstrual and premenstrual symptoms, and many found the tri-cycle regimen easier to follow'. Interestingly, the doctors and nurses on the clinic staff were less enthusiastic about this regimen than the volunteers themselves, some citing a concern about 'missing' a pregnancy 35 . The concept of taking active pills during 12 weeks, followed by a seven-day hormone-free interval, often called 'tricycling' was further investigated in a study conducted in three Swedish centres in 1993.…”

The use of an oral contraceptive containing ethinylestradiol and drospirenone in an extended regimen over 126 days

“…Since 1977, when the first study on the efficacy and acceptance of long-cycle COC regimen had been carried out, numerous studies with different EE/progestogen combinations proved that bleeding can be reduced significantly while unscheduled breakthrough bleeding often increases, typically, during the first months of treatment [3,6,7,19]. Therefore, physicians counseling women on extended regimens and the users need to balance the convenience of fewer scheduled withdrawal bleeding against the inconvenience of slightly more breakthrough bleeding or spotting with an extended regimen-knowing that the individual susceptibility to breakthrough bleeding or spotting is difficult to predict.…”

“…Prolonged intervals between withdrawal bleedings are established with long-acting contraceptive injectables, implants or progestogen-containing intrauterine devices. In fact, almost 30 years ago it was shown that the pill too has the ability to control the pattern of uterine bleeding beyond 3 weeks without compromising its contraceptive efficacy [3].…”

The influence of extended regimen of hormone contraception in comparison with conventional regimen on carbohydrates metabolism and bleeding pattern in fertile women with diabetes mellitus type 1 (a pilot study)

“…Первое сообщение о возможности пролонгированных схем гормональ-ной контрацепции было опубликовано в 1977 г. В этом исследовании применялась схема приема КОК, содержащего 50 мкг этинилэстрадиола и 250 мкг ли-нэстренола, по схеме 84/7 в течение года. Среди 196 принявших участие добровольцев 82% женщин от-мечали уменьшение количества кровотечений отме-ны и связанных с ними симптомов, многие заявили о том, что предпочли бы пролонгированный режим дозирования обычному [9]. В 2000 г. P. Sulak [10] по-казал, что почти все побочные эффекты, встречаю-щиеся при применении КОК (боли внизу живота и головная боль, требующие приема обезболивающих препаратов, отечность, дискомфорт в молочных же-лезах), в значительно большей степени выражены во время 7-дневного перерыва в приеме.…”