Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Biphasic versus triphasic oral contraceptives for contraception.

H Van Vliet1, D Grimes, F Helmerhorst

  • 1Family Health International, P. O. Box 13950, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA. dgrimes@fhi.org

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|November 1, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Biphasic oral contraceptives containing norethindrone showed poorer cycle control than triphasic pills with levonorgestrel. Progestin choice appears more critical than regimen phasing for bleeding patterns in oral contraceptives.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

ASCEND: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, phase II study of gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel with LSTA1 in untreated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. An Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group (AGITG) trial.

ESMO gastrointestinal oncology·2026
Same author

Doppler Ultrasound Flow Reversal in the Superior Sagittal Sinus to Detect Cerebral Venous Congestion in Vein of Galen Malformation.

AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology·2023
Same author

Review: Bioavailability of trace elements in farm animals: definition and practical considerations for improved assessment of efficacy and safety.

Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience·2022
Same author

Function Space Optimization: A Symbolic Regression Method for Estimating Parameter Transfer Functions for Hydrological Models.

Water resources research·2020
Same author

Application of the World Café method to discuss the efficiency of African swine fever control strategies in European wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations.

Preventive veterinary medicine·2020
Same author

Pathogen-specific antibody profiles in patients with severe systemic infections.

European cells & materials·2020

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Contraception
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Oral contraceptives (OCs) are widely used for pregnancy prevention.
  • Side effects, such as breakthrough bleeding, can reduce compliance and continuation rates.
  • Biphasic OCs are sometimes suggested to have more breakthrough bleeding than triphasic OCs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the efficacy, cycle control, and discontinuation rates due to side effects of biphasic versus triphasic oral contraceptives.
  • To systematically review existing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on this topic.

Main Methods:

  • Searched major databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, POPLINE, Cochrane) and reference lists.
  • Included RCTs comparing any biphasic OC with any triphasic OC for pregnancy prevention.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Assessed methodological quality and extracted data, calculating odds ratios for bleeding and discontinuation outcomes.

    • Main Results:

    • Only two low-quality trials met inclusion criteria.
    • One trial found no significant differences between biphasic and triphasic pills with levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol.
    • A biphasic norethindrone OC showed inferior cycle control (more intermenstrual bleeding, less withdrawal bleeding) compared to a triphasic levonorgestrel OC.

    Conclusions:

    • Limited, poor-quality evidence suggests biphasic norethindrone OCs may have worse cycle control than triphasic levonorgestrel OCs.
    • The internal validity of included trials is questionable due to high loss to follow-up.
    • Progestin type may be a more significant factor than the phasic regimen in determining oral contraceptive bleeding patterns.