[Hormonal contraception: a comparison between patients of the private and public health network]

The aim of this paper is to assess the profile of patients using hormonal contraceptives in the public health network and a comparison with the private health service, as well as the frequency of side effects and adherence to treatment. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 240 patients, namely 120 patients from the private health service and 120 patients from the public health network. The most commonly prescribed hormonal dosage on the private group (36.7%) was 15 or 20 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol (EE), associated with gestodene, desogestrel or levonorgestrel. On the other hand, the prescribed hormonal dosage in the public group was a combination of 30 micrograms of EE associated with gestodene, levonorgestrel or desogestrel (48.3%). There was no difference between the frequency of side effects in both groups surveyed (p>0.05). Meanwhile, adherence to treatment was higher in patients of the private group. The authors concluded that the most widely used contraceptive method was a low oral dose of ethinyl estradiol and there is no difference between the frequency of side effects. However, adherence to treatment was higher in the private group, which may be associated with social and cultural aspects of the patients surveyed.