“Anovlar” as an Oral Contraceptive

166 women received the oral contraceptive Anovlar (4 mg norethisterone acetate plus .05 mg ethinyl estradiol) on Cycle Days 5-24 for a total of 1023 cycles. A 100% efficiency rate was encountered. Side effects were few. Nausea occurred in 22% the first cycle and in only 7% by the seventh cycle. Dysmenorrhea improved or disappeared in 36% of the cases and got worse in none. The most frequent side effect was weight gain (more than 3 pounds in 45% of the cases). Breakthrough bleeding occurred in 5.1% spotting 9% and amenorrhea in 2.5% of all cycles. More than 60% reported a decrease in menstrual flow and premenstrual tension improved in 26% of the patients. No evidence of virilization was noted.