Contraceptive compliance with a levonorgestrel triphasic and a norethindrone monophasic oral contraceptive in adolescent patients.

OBJECTIVE

This study was undertaken to assess the impact of two low-dose oral contraceptive pills on compliance and side effects in adolescent patients.

STUDY DESIGN

The use of a levonorgestrel-containing triphasic pill (N = 114) was compared with that of a monophasic (1 + 35) norethindrone-containing pill (N = 110) at two different sociodemographic sites.

RESULTS

No significant difference in compliance or pill satisfaction was observed between the pills. Socioeconomic factors were the overriding predictors of compliance. At 3 and 12 months of follow-up, there were significantly fewer complaints of overall side effects (p less than 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively), breakthrough bleeding (p = 0.017 and p = 0.018), and pill amenorrhea (p = 0.002 and p less than 0.001) among users of the triphasic pill. Mean weight change at 12 months was +1.1 kg for the monophasic pill and -0.1 kg for the triphasic pill. All known pregnancies occurred among noncompliant city clinic patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents experienced fewer side effects with the triphasic pill than with the monophasic one, but compliance was the same.