Extended-Cycle Levonorgestrel/Ethinylestradiol and Low-Dose Ethinylestradiol (Seasonique®): A Review of Its Use as an Oral Contraceptive

Abstract

A 91-day extended-cycle oral contraceptive (OC) consisting of levonorgestrel/ethinylestradiol 150/30 µg for 84 days and ethinylestradiol 10 µg for 7 days (Seasonique(®)) has recently been approved for the prevention of pregnancy in adult women in the EU. This regimen allows for a reduction in the number of withdrawal bleeding episodes to four per year, compared with 13 episodes per year with conventional 28-day regimens. Seasonique(®) was effective in preventing pregnancy in a large (n = 1006), noncomparative trial of healthy, sexually active women. In this trial, the overall Pearl index (pregnancies per 100 woman-years of use) in women aged 18-35 years (n = 621) was 0.76 and the Pearl index for method-failure (compliant use) was 0.26. Scheduled (withdrawal) bleeding and/or spotting remained fairly constant over time, with a mean of 2 days of bleeding and 1 day of spotting per each 91-day cycle. Unscheduled bleeding and unscheduled spotting was highest during the first few cycles of use and decreased thereafter. Seasonique(®) was generally well tolerated, with a tolerability profile in line with that expected for OCs. Seasonique(®) extends the contraceptive options currently available to women, particularly in those who desire fewer withdrawal bleeding episodes.

Quantitative determination of levonorgestrel in beagle dog plasma after vaginal administration of intravaginal ring by high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

“…Currently, there are various kinds of contraceptive products with LNG as the main component on the market, including tablets, implants, transdermal patches and intrauterine devices (Burness, ; Jacobstein & Shelton, ; Scarsi et al, ). However, most of the dosage forms have their own disadvanges.…”