The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility

The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility

Investigating the Cause of Unwanted Pregnancies in Oral Contraceptive Pills Users Referred to Health Centers of Mashhad, Iran in 2008

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Zahra Abedian 1
Maliheh Dormohamadi 2
1 Lecturer, Department of Midwifery, Evidence Based Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
2 Lecturer, Department of Midwifery, Islamic Azad University of Quchan, Quchan, Iran.
10.22038/ijogi.2014.2770
Abstract
Introduction: Although the failure rate of oral contraceptive pills is 2-3%, the women experienced 7% failure rate at first year of use of oral contraceptive pills. Because of 9-17.2% of women in reproductive age in Mashhad, Iran consumed oral contraceptive pills to prevent pregnancy, this study was conducted to assign the cause of unwanted pregnancies in oral contraceptive pills users.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 72 women referred to family health unit of medical health centers of Mashhad, Iran in 2008. We selected the women who had taken oral contraceptive pills in 2008 as case group. Data were obtained by interview forms and analyzed with SPSS software version 14.5, t-test, chi-square, Fisher exact test and Mann-Whitney tests by the confidence of 95%.
Results: There was no statistically significant difference in demographic characteristics and other distracted variables (p>0.05). According to regular consumption of pills, there was a statistically significant difference between two groups (p<0.001). The most common cause of irregular consumption in women with unwanted pregnancy (63.3%) was missing pills. Two groups had significant differences regarding having knowledge about missed pill guidelines (p= 0.024) and concomitant use of antibiotics (p= 0.033); as 14 women (38.9%) of unwanted pregnancy group and 6 women (16.7%) of non-pregnant group used both antibiotics and oral contraceptive pills simultaneously.
Conclusion: The most frequent cause of failure of oral contraceptive pills was irregular consumption and antibiotics interactions and missed pills.
Keywords
Contraceptives/Oral
Failure
Pregnancy/Unwanted
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