INTRODUCTORY STUDY OF THE ONCE-A-MONTH, INJECTABLE CONTRACEPTIVE CYCLOFEM(R) IN BRAZIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, AND PERU

An introductory trial with the injectable contraceptive Cyclofem(R) wa s carried out in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, with participation by 3,183 women. Women were followed-up for up to 2 years of use and t he data were evaluated by life table analysis. A total of 29,676 women -months were accumulated for up to 2 years. No pregnancies were observ ed in the 2 years. The discontinuation rates for amenorrhea in the fir st year ranged from 3.4 in Brazil to 8.1 in Colombia, and for menstrua l disturbances from 5.1 in Chile to 9.2 in Brazil. The discontinuation rates for other medical reasons ranged from 7.8 in Brazil to 26.3 in Colombia, and for personal reasons from 17.2 in Chile to 23.5 in Brazi l. Continuation rates ranged from 42.3 in Colombia to 52 in Chile. In the second year of observation the rates of discontinuation were lower than those observed in the first year, with the exception of personal reasons in Brazil, which were the same as those observed in the first year. Continuation rates ranged from 19.4 in Brazil to 36.8 in Chile. The comparison of reasons for discontinuation in selected clinics sho wed that the rate for amenorrhea in one clinic in Chile was more than three times that in others and in Peru was seven times more in one cli nic than in another. Regarding menstrual disturbances, in Peru one cli nic presented a rate three times higher than the others. The main reas ons for discontinuation due to other medical reasons were headache and weight gain. In conclusion, Cyclofem presented a high contraceptive e fficacy and an acceptable rate of continuation and discontinuation for up to 2 years in the four countries. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc. A ll rights reserved.