Efficacy and acceptability of two monophasic oral contraceptives containing ethinylestradiol and either desogestrel or gestodene.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the contraceptive efficacy, cycle control and acceptability of two monophasic oral contraceptives containing either 30 micrograms ethinylestradiol plus 150 micrograms desogestrel or 30 micrograms ethinylestradiol plus 75 micrograms gestodene. METHODS: In a randomized, open-label, six-cycle, group-comparative, multicenter study performed in Brazil, pregnancies, cycle-control parameters, incidence of side-effects and the presence and severity of acne vulgaris were assessed, and blood pressure and body weight were measured at pretreatment and after one, three and six cycles of oral contraceptive use. RESULTS: Of the 595 women enrolled, 274 (86.7%) in the desogestrel/ethinylestradiol group and 227 (81.4%) in the gestodene/ethinylestradiol group completed the six cycles, providing data for 1753 and 1487 treatment cycles, respectively. Two pregnancies occurred, one of which (in the desogestrel/ethinylestradiol group) was attributed to user failure, whilst the other (in the gestodene/ethinylestradiol group) was thought to result from method failure. Cycle control was observed to be excellent; the incidences of irregular bleeding and minor side-effects were low in both groups and decreased after an initial increase in the first cycle. Pre-existing acne improved in both groups, whereas blood pressure and body weight remained essentially unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Both desogestrel/ethinylestradiol and gestodene/ethinylestradiol provide effective oral contraception with comparable cycle control and acceptability.

A multicenter clinical evaluation of a new monophasic combination: Minulet (gestodene and ethinyl estradiol).

The safety and efficacy of a low-dose monophasic oral contraceptive (OC) containing a new progestogen, gestodene (GTD), combined with ethinyl estradiol (EE) is being investigated in two ongoing multicenter trails. In this interim analysis, the formulation was found to be effective and well tolerated. Subject compliance was excellent; no pills were missed in 91.2% of the cycles. The number of women who withdrew from the study was low (15%), indicating good subject acceptance. GTD + EE provided optimal cycle control. Of the total number of OC cycles analyzed, spotting occurred in 8.1%, breakthrough bleeding in 1.8%, and both spotting and breakthrough bleeding in 3.3%. The incidence of spotting decreased fairly steadily during OC administration. Amenorrhea occurred in 0.5% of the cycles. There were no unexpected or serious side effects. The incidence of side effects was low and declined with increased duration of OC use. There were no clinically significant changes in weight or blood pressure. Virtually all of the systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings were in the normal range. The results of this interim analysis indicate that the GTD + EE formulation is a safe and reliable contraceptive.