Chinese Women Are Doing It Once-A-Month

Taking a birth control pill, that is. Before you get too excited about the possibility, here's what a review study of the safety, effectiveness and continuation of once-a-month contraceptive pills found:

Results

Quin-Lng [quinestrol 3 mg/levonorgestrel 6 mg] pills gave steady-state serum levels of ethinylestradiol between 0.20–0.25 and 0.15 ng/mL. The 1-year perfect use pregnancy rate was 1.1 per 100 women-years. Nausea and increased leukorrhea were common; bleeding control was good. Hypertension developed in 5.8% of Quin-Ng [quinestrol 3 mg/norgestrel 12 mg] pill users during the first year of use. For Quin-Ng and Quin-Lng once-a-month pills, 1 year continuation rates were 73.6 and 82.1 per 100, respectively.

Conclusions

Lack of good quality data prevents confident assessment of the safety and efficacy of once-a-month pills. Short-term safety information indicates a high incidence of bothersome side effects and hypertension. The high monthly estrogen and progestogen doses raise questions about the safety of the once-a-month pills.