Beneficios no anticonceptivos de 0,02 mg de etinilestradiol/2 mg de acetato de clormadinona administrados en un régimen de 24+4 días

objective: to demonstrate the influence on physical and psychological complaints during the first year of intake of the combined oral contraceptive (coc) 0.02 mg ethinylestradiol (ee)/2 mg chlormadinone acetate (cma), administered in a regimen of 24 days of cma/ee intake followed by 4 days of placebo intake. study design: the subjective feelings of non-contraceptive benefits registered in women's diaries of 1,665 subjects participating in a multicentre, uncontrolled, multiadministration, phase iii trial, published elsewhere, were analyzed post-hoc after 13 cycles intake of ee/cma in a 24 +4 days intake regimen. results: emotional complaints were reported less frequently at medication cycle 13 compared with admission and cycle 1. depressive mood was reduced by 84.5% and 72.2%, irritability by 87.3% and 66.0%; physical complaints were also reduced: headaches by 75.5% and 74.7%, breast discomfort by 77.1% and 66.1%; pre-existing dysmenorrhea by 77.9% and 67.6%. premature termination due to complaints was only marginal, the bleeding profile was accepted. conclusions: the low-dose coc, 0.02 mg ee/2 mg cma, administered in a 24 +4 day regimen, reduces significantly most of the emotional and physical complaints occurring during spontaneous cycles of women, combined with an adequate bleeding profile.