Preferred frequency and characteristics of menstrual bleeding in relation to reproductive status, oral contraceptive use, and hormone replacement therapy use
There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
This study addresses attitudes towards changes in menstrual bleeding patterns caused
by oral contraceptives (OC) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and preferred changes
in bleeding pattern with and without use of OC or HRT in relation to reproductive
age group. Data were collected by means of telephone interviews with 325 women in
each of four age groups (15-19, 25-34, 45-49, and 52-57 years). In total, 80.5% of
currently menstruating women preferred one or more changes in bleeding pattern such
as less painful, shorter, or less heavy periods, or amenorrhea. The majority of the
menstruating women in all age groups preferred to have a bleeding frequency of less
than once a month or never, whether the bleeding was spontaneous or induced by OC.
In the case of HRT, amenorrhea was most preferred. These findings with respect to
preferred bleeding frequency and OC may have important implications for health care
providers and for future contraception development.