Is Cerazette the minipill of choice?
Around 5% of women aged 16-49 years in Great Britain use a progestogen-only pill (POP; 'minipill') as contraception. These pills are used as alternatives to combined oral contraceptives (COCs), compared to which they are less reliable at preventing pregnancy: the estimated contraceptive failure rate of POPs is 0.5 pregnancies per 100 woman-years when used consistently and correctly, compared with 0.1 per 100 woman-years for COCs. Cerazette (Organon), a new POP, is being promoted by the company as "the first oestrogen free pill to consistently inhibit ovulation", as having "the efficacy of a combined pill, with the reassurance of an oestrogen free pill" and offering "reliable contraception for women of any reproductive age". Here, we consider whether Cerazette offers advantages over established POPs.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003280:Contraceptives, Oral, Synthetic / Q000191:economics; D000075202:Contraindications; D017135:Desogestrel / Q000191:economics; D016527:Drug Costs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016912:Levonorgestrel; D008875:Middle Aged; D010060:Ovulation / Q000187:drug effects; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
D003280:Contraceptives, Oral, Synthetic; D016912:Levonorgestrel; D017135:Desogestrel