Progestin-Only Injectables

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Recommendations for Contraceptive Use

Progestin-Only Injectables

Q.6. Is there a need for a rest period after a certain period of use of the progestin-only injectable, and is there a maximum recommended duration of use?

Recommendations

Rationales

a) No, there is no need for a rest period.

Injectable progestins may be used for as long as a woman wishes to avoid pregnancy.

a) There is no cumulative effect of injectable progestins; the time required to clear the drug from the body is the same after multiple injections as after a single injection.

Mishell DR. Long-acting contraceptive steroids: Postcoital contraceptives and antiprogestins, in Mishell DR, Davajan V, Lobo RA (eds). Infertility, Contraception, and Reproductive Endocrinology, 3rd edition. Boston, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1991, pp 872-894.

Any part of Recommendations for Updating Selected Practices in Contraceptive Use may be reproduced or adapted to meet local needs without prior permission from the TG/CWG Secretariat, provided the TG/CWG is acknowledged and the material is made available free of charge or at cost.

Last Updated: 09 Jul 2003

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