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Skipping the pill-free interval: data from a Dutch national sample
1Rutgers WPF, PO Box 9022, 3506 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Contraception
|October 16, 2013
Summary
Skipping the pill-free interval is common among oral contraceptive pill (OCP) users, with many women choosing to reduce or eliminate monthly bleeding episodes. This practice occurs even without active encouragement from healthcare providers.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Contraception
Background:
- The routine monthly pill-free interval in oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use is not medically necessary.
- Many women express a preference for fewer menstrual bleeding episodes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency of skipping the pill-free interval among OCP users.
- To identify demographic factors associated with regular skipping of the pill-free interval.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 818 oral contraceptive pill users in the 2011 Sexual Health in the Netherlands Survey.
- Comparison of demographics between women who regularly skipped pill-free intervals and those who rarely skipped.
Main Results:
- 73% of surveyed women reported ever skipping pill-free intervals.
- 38% of women regularly skipped their pill-free intervals.
- Minor demographic differences observed, with women of Dutch/Western origin and non-religious women skipping more frequently.
Conclusions:
- Skipping pill-free intervals is a prevalent behavior among oral contraceptive pill users.
- Women utilize OCPs and skip intervals irrespective of physician consultation.
- Systematic discussion of bleeding preferences could potentially increase the rate of interval skipping.
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