Table 1.
Patterns of oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use over three months, by OCP method choice categorya
| OCP use category | Diary periods | Mean number diary daysb (SD) | Mean days of consecutive OCP (SD) | Mean days of sequential missed OCP (SD) | Episodes of 3 or more missed OCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stable (n = 53) | 87 | 72.6 (22.3) | 32.5 (29.2) | 17.4 (16.2) | 1.9 (1.0) |
| Initiated (n = 24) | 25 | 77.6 (13.9) | 20.4 (22.7) | 26.3 (24.8) | 1.9 (1.0) |
| Stopped (n = 45) | 48 | 75.4 (20.9) | 20.5 (26.5) | 26.4 (22.7) | 1.9 (1.1) |
| Discordant (n = 45) | 50 | 79.6 (13.2) | 7.2 (10) | 31.2 (24.1) | 2.2 (0.8) |
| All groupsc | 210 | 75.5 (19.3) | 23.4 (26.8) | 25.9 (22.7) | 2.0 (1.0) |
a
Stable use = OCP use reported at diary period entry/exit interviews; Initiated use = OCP use at diary period exit interview only; Stopped use = OCP use at diary period entry interview only; Discordant use = no OCP use reported at diary period entry/exit, with at least one day of use recorded in the diary.
b
Total number of diary days = 15,859.
c
Individual participants n = 123. Some participants contribute to multiple OCP method choice categories.