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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Because no contraceptive agent is perfect, patients must weigh the benefits and risks of the contraceptive method they decide to initiate and continue. Individual decision making and provider-client communication interact in complex ways to determine contraceptive behavior. Use of the contraceptive injectable depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) should be preceded by counseling which individualizes its risks and benefits, answers all questions (asked and unasked), and develops a longterm plan to minimize side effects. Counseling should cover the contraceptive and noncontraceptive benefits of DMPA; specific side effects such as bleeding changes, weight changes, and fertility changes; the mechanisms of action; and ways to avoid acquiring sexually transmitted diseases. When evaluating and managing side effects, a differential diagnosis independent of DMPA must be considered first (especially for postcoital bleeding and headache). A pregnancy test should be offered in the first month of amenorrhea, after which no treatment is necessary. Ovulation resumption after use may be spontaneous or may be induced with menotropin therapy. Spotting and breakthrough bleeding may be handled by counseling or by a short course of high-dosage ibuprofen or of low-dose estrogen supplementation. Counseling may help women manage weight gain through caloric reduction and an increase in exercise. Acne which occurs soon after adoption of the method may be managed pharmacologically. Increased intake of dietary fiber and fluids may ameliorate the symptoms of abdominal bloating, and temporary nausea can be treated with antacids. Recent research has shown that depression does not increase with DMPA use, although the contraceptive is sometimes implicated in mood changes. Breast tenderness decreases with prolonged DMPA usage and can be managed with proper support garments and a reduction in other causative agents such as caffeine. Women who experience an increase in varicose veins should wear support hose and elevate their legs when possible. Women with symptoms of hypoestrogenic side effects should undergo a serum estradiol level test and appropriate replacement therapy. DMPA can be used immediately postpartum even in breast-feeding women. Women with amenorrhea should be tested for pregnancy before initiating DMPA or reinitiating use at an interval longer than 11-13 weeks. No adverse side effects have been found if pregnancy does occur.
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PMID:Counseling issues and management of side effects for women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate contraception. 872 1

Reactions to oral contraceptive therapy tend to be maximal during the first few months of use. They include nausea or epigastric discomfort, malaise, dizziness, nervousness, fatigue, weakness, leg cramps, headache, and depression. The estrogenic component is thought to be the cause. There may also be a psychogenic basis reflecting apprehension. Breast tenderness is an occasional complaint and intermenstrual spotting or breakthrough bleeding is often reported. Increasing dosage has reduced this symptom. Dysmenorrhea prior to treatment may be improved but occasionally it is aggravated. Drug-induced amenorrhea presents a double problem in that failure to resume medication 7 days after completion of a cycle results in a risk of conception. Episodes of severe uterine bleeding in patients discontinuing use after several months or years have been reported. Other side effects include a skin reaction resembling acne, pruritus, hirsutism, thinning of scalp hair, increased skin pigmentation, and weight gain or loss. Serious vascular complications and hepatic dysfunction have been shown and deviation of thyroid function may be shown by increase of serum protein-bound iodine (PBI). Clinical signs of hyperthyroidism have not been described. Oral contraception is associated with elevated plasma cortisol (hydrocortisone) levels and decreased urinary levels of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17-OCHS). Suppression of ovarian activity by oral contraceptives is rapidly reversible. Fear of carcinogenesis has caused much alarm but no proof as of the present time. Safety of long term use will require additional years of experience.
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PMID:Side-effects and possible complications of oral contraceptive drugs. 1225 41

The efficacy and safety of the low dose monophasic oral contraceptive (OC) combination containing 30 micrograms of ethinylestradiol (EE) and 2.0 mg of dienogest (DNG) (EE/DNG) was evaluated in a prospective, open-label, multicenter, uncontrolled, phase III trial. The trial was carried out in six hospitals by 36 investigators in the Czech Republic, and included 557 healthy women (aged 18-35 years), over 12 cycles, with a total of 6051 cycles. EE/DNG provided a reliable ovulation inhibition. The contraceptive efficacy study showed an adjusted Pearl index of 0.198 on the basis of three pregnancies occurring during 6051 cycles. EE/DNG provided good cycle control, reduced the incidence of intermenstrual bleedings, the intensity of menstrual bleeding and frequency of dysmenorrhea. Due to the antiandrogenic properties of the progestogen component DNG, EE/DNG improved androgen-related conditions, such as skin blemishes, hair greasiness and acne vulgaris. From 108 women with acne, 62 (57%) improved after the 6th cycle, and 16 (15%) were healed. Similar changes were found after cycle 12. Breast tenderness and headache were the most frequent of the common complaints due to treatment with EE/DNG. The frequency of all complaints decreased steadily over time. Only 7.7% of subjects discontinued due to adverse reactions. No thrombophlebitic events were noticed.
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PMID:Clinical findings with the oral contraceptive combination ethinylestradiol/dienogest in the Czech Republic. 1261 63