PSYCHODIAGNOSTIC FOLLOW‐UP OF NEOVLETTA®‐A NEW LOW DOSE ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE

Abstract

In 45 somatically healthy women the possible occurrence of psychic effects of a new low dose combined oral contraceptive was studied using different psychodiagnostic test methods. All the participants were previous users of some of the standard combined oral contraceptives, but had discontinued either due to experienced, side-effects, due to fear of such effects or due to other reasons. Four patients dropped out before the end of the six-month-observation period. Women who discontinued previous use of oral contraceptives due to side-effects or due to fear of side-effects exhibited a more pronounced degree of neuroticism compared to those who terminated due to other reasons. Those who experienced side-effects during earlier medication had initially a higher depression score than the two remaining groups suggesting that women's basic psychic nature seems to play an important role in the development of psychic symptoms during oral contraceptive therapy. None of the three groups developed additional signs of depression during treatment. Moreover, no impairment of the sexual function, assessed by a number of parameters, was found. The findings clearly indicate that Neovletta did not cause any psychic disturbance in the patients studied.