How Low Can You Get?

Since the early 1960s the side effects of oral contraceptives have been known to be related to the high doses (50 micro g) of ethinyl estradiol used. Research has focused on reducing the dose of both the estrogen and progestin components to reduce these side effects. While reducing the dose of both components, the contraceptive efficacy has to be maintained so as to retain a satisfactory Pearl index. These requirements appear to have been attained with 24-day regimen of a low-dose pill (15 microg of ethinyl estradiol and 60 microg of gestedone) as one part of an open-label noncomparative multicenter study. This paper reports our unit's results, which indicate that the low-dose pill promises to reduce contraceptive-related side effects, to encourage better compliance, and as corollary, to retain a satisfactory Pearl index.