Contraception: Commonsense and controversy
Welcome back. I have had a few weeks off and this is the first podcast for a while.
I have invited Dr Penny Wilson – our resident GP / Gynae / Women’s health expert back onto the podcast to discuss her approach to the common presentation of contraception counselling. We also discuss the recent controversy around the risk of DVT or PE with some of the newer combined OCPs.
This is really aimed at the GPs in training or those who occasionally get involved in contraceptive counselling.
Penny mentions a number of trials and online resources to aid your learning or discussions with patients. I have listed them below for you to follow along. Please feel free to share any other contraception resources you might have.
The World Health Organisation has some cool resources: a Smartphone App, an “online wheel”. These are the “Medical Eligibility Criteria” that Penny mentions.
The US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has a similar online “Eligibility Criteria” decision tool.
The American College of O&G’s position on the relative risk of VTE with OCPs.
The Australian – National Prescribing Service (NPS) published this summation of the data and tips for prescribing.
The TGA (therapeutics goods administration) – the Aussie version of the FDA put out this statement. about VTE on the newer pills.
The FSRH – from the UK’s RCOG completed this met analysis in September 2013.
They also have a really comprehensive resource for clinical guidance around all sorts of reproductive health issues for doctors HERE.
OK – Onto the podcast.
BREAKING NEWS:
A new paper out just recently. Big data – more than 200,000 woman years of COCP – with prospective capture. Published in Contraception, April 2014
Comparison of drospirenone-containing pills to others showed no difference in VTE outcomes.
So, as we said in the podcast. The numbers are not really as scary as the headlines would have you believe. So stay rational!
CASEY
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