Bleeding patterns of women using Lunelle™ monthly contraceptive injections (medroxyprogesterone acetate and estradiol cypionate injectable suspension) compared with those of women using Ortho-Novum ® 7/7/7 (norethindrone/ethinyl estradiol triphasic) or other oral contraceptives

• Published in: Contraception (Stoneham) Vol. 62; no. 6; pp. 289 - 295
• Main Authors: Garceau, Roger J., Wajszczuk, Charles J., Kaunitz, Andrew M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.12.2000; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Amenorrhea - chemically induced; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight - physiology; Breakthrough bleeding; Contraceptives, Oral, Combined - administration & dosage; Contraceptives, Oral, Combined - adverse effects; Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal - administration & dosage; Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal - adverse effects; Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment; Estradiol - administration & dosage; Estradiol - adverse effects; Estradiol - analogs & derivatives; Estradiol cypionate; Female; Humans; LUNELLE; Medical sciences; Medroxyprogesterone acetate; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate - administration & dosage; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate - adverse effects; Mestranol - administration & dosage; Mestranol - adverse effects; Middle Aged; Monthly injectable contraception; Norethindrone - administration & dosage; Norethindrone - adverse effects; Oral contraceptive; Ortho-Novum ® 7/7/7; Patient Compliance; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Toxicity: urogenital system; Uterine Hemorrhage - chemically induced; Withdrawal bleeding; Breakthrough bleeding; LUNELLE; Medroxyprogesterone acetate; Monthly injectable contraception; Withdrawal bleeding; Estradiol cypionate; Oral contraceptive; Ortho-Novum ® 7/7/7; Ethinylestradiol; Human; Menstruation; Monthly; Controlled release form; Toxicity; Estrogen; Oral administration; Intramuscular administration; Progestagen; Amenorrhea; Medroxyprogesterone; Female; Contraceptive; Norethisterone; Triphasic contraceptive; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0010-7824; 1879-0518
• DOI: 10.1016/S0010-7824(00)00183-9

Persistent and/or unpredictable bleeding is a common reason for discontinuation of hormonal contraceptive methods. An open-label, nonrandomized, parallel, controlled study compared the efficacy, safety, and cycle control of the new, highly efficacious monthly injectable contraceptive containing 25 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and 5 mg estradiol cypionate (E 2C) (MPA/E 2C) (Lunelle™ Monthly Contraceptive Injection) with that of the frequently used norethindrone 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 mg/0.035 mg ethinyl estradiol (NET/EE) triphasic oral contraceptive (Ortho-Novum ® 7/7/7). This report directly compares the bleeding patterns of women on MPA/E 2C to those of women on NET/EE and untreated women. Overall, breakthrough bleeding occurred less frequently in women using MPA/E 2C than in women using NET/EE (p ≤0.01). However, more women using MPA/E 2C experienced amenorrhea/missed periods than those on NET/EE (p ≤0.01). In addition, the percentage of women experiencing breakthrough bleeding or amenorrhea while using other oral contraceptives is compared to that of women using MPA/E 2C. A rapidly reversible method, MPA/E 2C, combines the high contraceptive efficacy of surgical sterilization with the convenience of monthly administration. These data suggest that, for a large proportion of women, MPA/E 2C offers predictability in bleeding patterns comparable to or greater than that experienced by ovulatory untreated women or those using combination oral contraceptives.