[Use of oral contraceptives in the years 1994-2002: different but not less]

To describe the use of contraceptives among women aged 10-59, particularly in relation to the type of oral contraceptives (OCs) among starting users and women already using OCs.

Descriptive.

Data on the use of medication in the period 1994-2002 by women in the age range 10-59 years were selected from the Interaction Database of North and East Netherlands. The study population was 33,795 women in 1994 and 102,894 in 2002. Cross-sectional studies were performed of prevalent and incident OC users per year and the contribution of the various types of OC was measured.

The use of contraceptives among women aged 10-59 years has remained fairly constant since 1994, being about 33%. However, Dutch women started using OCs at an increasingly younger age: 47% of the 15-19-year-olds in 2002 compared with 35% in 1994. The use of third-generation OCs among young starting OC-users (10-19 years of age) in 2002 was very low (3.5% of all OCs). Among women who already used OCs, the switch from third- to second-generation OCs was less pronounced. In 2002, 23% of all OC-users used third-generation preparations compared with 46.5% in 1994. The proportion using cyproteron-ethinylestradiol increased slightly over the years.

After 1994, mainly second-generation OCs have been prescribed. The switch from third- to second-generation OCs was especially marked among the young starting users. The use of cyproteron-ethinylestradiol increased slightly during the years.