Coutinho Elsimar M, Spinola Paulo, Athayde Célia, Noronha Cristina Fernandes, de Melo Nilson Roberto, Cabral Zuleide Aparecida Félix, Almeida José Alcione Macedo, da Silva Balbina Lemos, Neto João Sabino Pinho, Rumi Demetrio Ortega
CEPARH, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
Contraception. 2006 Mar;73(3):249-52. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2005.08.016. Epub 2005 Oct 20.
This study compared two regimens of a monthly injectable contraceptive containing dihydroxyprogesterone acetophenide 150 mg and estradiol enanthate 10 mg (Perlutan) over 12 cycles of use.
Three hundred sixty-five adolescents were randomized into two groups. The patients in Group 1 received an initial injection of Perlutan on the 1st-5th day of their menstrual cycle and subsequent injections every 30 +/- 3 days, whereas those in Group 2 followed the traditional schedule of administration in which the first injection is administered between Days 7 and 10 of their menstrual cycle and subsequent injections 7-10 days after Day 1 of withdrawal bleeding. This schedule may result in an irregularity in the timing of injections.
No significant difference was found between the two groups regarding tolerability or pregnancy (two in Group 1 and three in Group 2).
Monthly administration limits the annual number of injections to a maximum of 12, thus frequently reducing the total annual dose while maintaining efficacy and tolerability similar to those obtained with the traditional regimen.
