Prescribing preferences and personal experience of female gynaecologists in Germany and Austria regarding use of extended-cycle oral contraceptives

Inka Wiegratz; Katrin Galiläer; Nicole Sänger; Achim Rody; Herbert Kühl; E Schleußner

doi:10.3109/13625187.2010.518708

Prescribing preferences and personal experience of female gynaecologists in Germany and Austria regarding use of extended-cycle oral contraceptives

Inka Wiegratz, Katrin Galiläer, Nicole Sänger, Achim Rody, Herbert Kühl, E Schleußner

In: The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care · 2010 · vol. 15(6) , pp. 405–412 · doi:10.3109/13625187.2010.518708 · PMID:20863264 · W2020094257

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German and Austrian female gynecologists widely prescribe and personally use extended-cycle oral contraceptives for medical reasons, regardless of their own extended-cycle use experience.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To investigate prescribing preferences and personal experience of female gynaecologists with extended-cycle use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) in Germany and Austria. METHODS: A questionnaire on prescribing patterns and personal experience with extended COC regimens was delivered to female gynaecologists practising in Germany and Austria. RESULTS: Of 2,500 delivered questionnaires, 1,113 were returned. After exclusion of 22 invalid questionnaires, the remaining 1,091 (43.6% of delivered questionnaires) remained eligible for analysis and were considered as the full analysis set (100%). Nearly all gynaecologists (97%) reported prescription of extended-cycle regimens to their patients, independent of their personal experience as users. The main medical reasons for prescription were cycle-related headache (93.8%), dysmenorrhoea (88.2%), cycle-related complaints (74.5%), and hypermenorrhoea (70.9%). In total, 863 gynaecologists had personally used COCs, 321 (37.2%) in extended-cycle regimen. The most commonly employed combinations were 30 μg ethinylestradiol (EE) + 2 mg dienogest (n = 114; 37.5%) and 30 μg EE + 3 mg drospirenone (n = 69; 22.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Although considered off-label use, extended-cycle use of COCs is widely prescribed and personally used by German and Austrian female gynaecologists. The lack of personal experience with extended-cycle use does not impair the prescribing habit of gynaecologists with regard to extended-cycle regimens.

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dysmenorrhea

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