Progestogen-only pill shows promise as non-prescription contraception

Key clinical point: Daily use of 75 µg norgestrel was effective contraception for both breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding women

Major finding:  Overall failure rates for non-breastfeeding women using 75 µg/day norgestrel ranged from 0-2.4/100 woman-years for an aggregate Pearl Index of 2.2. Among breastfeeding women, the 12-month life table cumulative pregnancy rates for norgestrel ranged from 0-3.4.

Study details: The data come from 13 studies of women who used a progestogen-only pill containing 75 µg/day norgestrel. The review included 6 studies with data on 3,144 women who were not breastfeeding and 7 studies with data on 5,258 women who were breastfeeding during part of the follow-up period. The women were followed for a total of 35,319 months.  

Disclosures: The study received no outside funding. Lead author Dr. Anna Glasier and coauthor Stephanie Sober disclosed serving as independent consultants to HRA-Pharma.

Source: Glasier A et al. Contraception. 2021 Sep 6. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2021.08.016.