WEDNESDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The vaginal ring has a similar level of acceptability to young women as the oral contraceptive pill, but neither method appears to be particularly popular for long-term use in this population, according to a study in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Melissa L. Gilliam, M.D., of the University of Chicago, and colleagues conducted a study of 273 female college and graduate students, 136 of whom were randomized to use the contraceptive vaginal ring, while 137 were given a low-dose oral contraceptive pill.
At the three-month mark, ring users were more likely to report perfect use in the short-term than pill users, the researchers found. While 43 percent of the contraceptive vaginal ring users reported planning to continue with the method of contraception, 52 percent of the 126 oral contraceptive pill users reported intention to continue use. However, at six months, only 26 percent of contraceptive ring users and 29 percent of pill users were still on their allocated method of contraception, with condom use or no contraception reported by almost half of both groups.
"Students may find non-daily methods easier to adhere to when initiating use than daily methods," the authors write. "However, the findings of nonuse at six months suggest that studies of long-acting reversible methods (the intrauterine device and implants) are also needed in this population."
Full Text
