TY - JOUR
T1 - Prescribing preferences and personal experience of female gynaecologists in Germany and Austria regarding use of extended-cycle oral contraceptives
AU - Wiegratz, Inka
AU - Galiläer, Katrin
AU - Sänger, Nicole
AU - Rody, Achim
AU - Kuhl, Herbert
AU - Schleußner, Ekkehard
N1 - Funding Information:
Declaration of interest: This study was supported by Jenapharm GmbH & Co KG (Jena, Germany). The authors Inka Wiegratz, Herbert Kuhl, and Ekkehard Schleußner received honoraria for lectures and expert reports from Jenapharm GmbH & Co. KG. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
PY - 2010/12
Y1 - 2010/12
N2 - ObjectivesTo investigate prescribing preferences and personal experience of female gynaecologists with extended-cycle use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) in Germany and Austria. MethodsA questionnaire on prescribing patterns and personal experience with extended COC regimens was delivered to female gynaecologists practising in Germany and Austria. ResultsOf 2,500 delivered questionnaires, 1,113 were returned. After exclusion of 22 invalid questionnaires, the remaining 1,091 (43.6 of delivered questionnaires) remained eligible for analysis and were considered as the full analysis set (100). Nearly all gynaecologists (97) reported prescription of extended-cycle regimens to their patients, independent of their personal experience as users. The main medical reasons for prescription were cycle-related headache (93.8), dysmenorrhoea (88.2), cycle-related complaints (74.5), and hypermenorrhoea (70.9). In total, 863 gynaecologists had personally used COCs, 321 (37.2) in extended-cycle regimen. The most commonly employed combinations were 30μg ethinylestradiol (EE)2mg dienogest (n114; 37.5) and 30μg EE3mg drospirenone (n69; 22.7). ConclusionsAlthough considered off-label use, extended-cycle use of COCs is widely prescribed and personally used by German and Austrian female gynaecologists. The lack of personal experience with extended-cycle use does not impair the prescribing habit of gynaecologists with regard to extended-cycle regimens.
AB - ObjectivesTo investigate prescribing preferences and personal experience of female gynaecologists with extended-cycle use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) in Germany and Austria. MethodsA questionnaire on prescribing patterns and personal experience with extended COC regimens was delivered to female gynaecologists practising in Germany and Austria. ResultsOf 2,500 delivered questionnaires, 1,113 were returned. After exclusion of 22 invalid questionnaires, the remaining 1,091 (43.6 of delivered questionnaires) remained eligible for analysis and were considered as the full analysis set (100). Nearly all gynaecologists (97) reported prescription of extended-cycle regimens to their patients, independent of their personal experience as users. The main medical reasons for prescription were cycle-related headache (93.8), dysmenorrhoea (88.2), cycle-related complaints (74.5), and hypermenorrhoea (70.9). In total, 863 gynaecologists had personally used COCs, 321 (37.2) in extended-cycle regimen. The most commonly employed combinations were 30μg ethinylestradiol (EE)2mg dienogest (n114; 37.5) and 30μg EE3mg drospirenone (n69; 22.7). ConclusionsAlthough considered off-label use, extended-cycle use of COCs is widely prescribed and personally used by German and Austrian female gynaecologists. The lack of personal experience with extended-cycle use does not impair the prescribing habit of gynaecologists with regard to extended-cycle regimens.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78649358374&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3109/13625187.2010.518708
DO - 10.3109/13625187.2010.518708
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 20863264
AN - SCOPUS:78649358374
SN - 1362-5187
VL - 15
SP - 405
EP - 412
JO - European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care
JF - European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care
IS - 6
ER -
