Tricycle pill regime
Loudon, N.B.
Ippf Medical Bulletin 13(1): 2-3
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-0357 PMID: 12335538 Document Number: 126970
A study was undertaken among 202 volunteers to determine whether the number of menstrual periods/year could be reduced to 4 by continuous administration of the oral contraceptive Minilyn for 84 days followed by 6 free days over a year and, if so, whether such a change would be acceptable. Tricycle administration was associated with side effects of spotting and breakthrough bleeding (in 24% of the patients in the 1st cycle, 4% in the 4th), weight gain (46%), breast discomfort (13%), headache (11%), dysmenorrhea (9%), and the Of the women, 82% approved of the reduction in number of menstrual periods, and 91% of the 53% who completed the trial refused to revert to a monthly regimen (66% of the patients who withdrew from the trial liked the idea of less frequent menstrual periods). Despite the self-selected nature of the women studied, there is evidence that women would appreciate the opportunity to manipulate the frequency of their menstrual periods. The optimum dosage of oral contraceptives to attain this condition has yet to be determined, and the dosage of estrogen in particular may be significantly reduced. If such a regimen proves attractive, attention might be focused on the development of nonestrogenic drugs for contraceptive purposes. The side effect of amenorrhea may even be an attraction to the use of such drugs.