The study of cycle control, side effects and acceptability of transdermal patch use in Thai women in Siriraj Hospital.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy, cycle control of menstruation, side effects, and acceptability of the contraceptive patch in Thai women. Methods: In this noncomparative study, 60 healthy Thai women were treated with contraceptive patches. Assessments of the efficacy, cycle control, side effects, and acceptability were performed at baseline, cycles 1, 3 and 6. Results: The Mean age of the participants was 25.8 years. A total of 50 women completed 6 cycles providing 300 woman-months of use, with the women who withdrew from the study providing a further 5 woman-months of use for a total of 305 woman-months. There were no pregnancies during the study, neither method nor participant failures. Withdrawal bleeding was regular and predictable, with a low incidence of unscheduled bleeding. The most frequent adverse event was breast tenderness, headache, skin irritation, hair loss, nausea, and acne. Most of the users were satisfied with the contraceptive patch. Conclusion: The contraceptive patch provided effective contraception with excellent cycle control, and was well tolerated with good compliance. This convenient approach to contraception appears highly acceptable in Thai women.