Comparison of Cycle Control and Side Effects between Transdermal Contraceptive Patch and an Oral Contraceptive in Women Older than 35 Years
Arthit Boonyarangkul MD*, Surasak Taneepanichskul MD*
Affiliation : * Reproductive Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University
Objective : To compare menstrual patterns and side effects between transdermal contraceptive patch and oral
contraceptive use in Thai women over 35 years old.
Design : Open labeled randomized control trial.
Setting : Family Planning Clinic, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.
Materials and Methods : Ninety-six women above the age of 35 years old were randomized to receive either
transdermal contraceptive patch (n = 48) or oral contraceptive (n = 48). The patch regimen was three
consecutive 7-day patches (21 days) followed by 1 patch-free week per cycle; the oral contraceptive con-
tained with ethinyl estradiol (EE) 30 µg and levonorgestrel 150 µg.
Results : There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of cycle length. The
mean duration in the transdermal contraceptive group was longer than the COC group with statistically
significant difference. More patients in the COC group experienced spotting than the transdermal contracep-
tive group. Neither amenorrhea nor pregnancies occurred in both groups.
Conclusion : Transdermal contraceptive patch provides reliable contraceptive efficacy. It also provides good
cycle control equal to COC in Thai women aged above 35 years old. However, a higher incidence of minor
adverse effects such as breast tenderness and nausea were demonstrated when compared to oral contraceptive
containing with ethinyl estradiol (EE) 30 µg and levonorgestrel 150 µg.
Keywords : Transdermal contraceptive patch, Cycle control
