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CONTINUOUS LOW DOSES OF CLOMAGESTONE IN FERTILITY CONTROL
Author(s) -
Mahgoub S.,
Karim M.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1971.tb00207.x
Subject(s) - ovulation , medicine , progestogen , physiology , metrorrhagia , uterus , pill , gynecology , fertility , estrogen , family planning , hormone , population , research methodology , environmental health , pharmacology
Summary Clomagestone (supplied by Sohering, Berlin) 0.75 mg. was given daily for one year to 186 patients known to be fertile. Among 163 patients with complete follow‐up there were four pregnancies and three of them were due to patient failure. The length of cycles 77.5 per cent of the 1725 observed was between 25 and 35 days. Break‐through bleeding and spotting occurred in only 2.9 per cent of cycles. The occurrence of regular menstrual cycles and the results of endometrial and ovarian biopsies suggested that the function of the pituitary ovaries and uterus was not altered to any degree. The cervical mucus was rendered hostile to spermatozoa. Cervical smears revealed no changes suggestive of malignancy. Glucose tolerance and liver function tests were normal after one year of treatment. Oral contraceptives containing oestrogen and progestogen affect hypothalamic, pituitary and ovarian function and may alter other physiological systems. There is doubt about the safety of these “combined pills” especially with regard to their role in the aetiology of thromboembolic disease. The administration of progestogens only as a method of contraception has therefore been recommended. Progestogens in sufficiently high doses suppress ovulation but in continuously administered low doses may be effective in fertility control without inhibiting ovulation (Rudel, 1964; Rudel et al. , 1965; Martinez‐Manautou et al. , 1966, 1967; a, b and c; 1969; and Avendano et al. , 1970). Clomagestone is a progesterone derivative (6‐chloro‐17 acetoxy‐16 α methyl 1–4, 6 pregnanediene 3–20 dione). The present communication deals with the evaluation of this progestogen as a contraceptive when continuously administered in a daily dose of 0.75 mg.