AVALIAÇÃO DO USO DE ANTICONCEPCIONAIS EM MULHERES

Abstract

Introduction: the use of oral contraceptives is indicated for women of reproductive age to prevent pregnancies. Objective: to characterize the prevalence of the use of oral or injectable contraceptives in a sample of women of reproductive age and verify whether there are adverse effects associated with their use. Method: a survey was carried out using an electronic form between April 2022 and March 2023. Data on the socioeconomic profile, use of contraceptives and adverse events were researched. Results: 303 questionnaires were answered. The average age was 23.13 ± (3.35) years and the BMI was 23.9 ± (3.77) kg/m2, indicating eutrophy. 85.5% of women declare themselves single, the majority (94.2%) live in Rio Grande do Sul and 28.9% have a family income of more than 10 minimum wages. Some users (86.8%) use hormonal contraceptives, followed by 8.3% who do not use contraceptives and only 4.9% use non-hormonal contraceptives. Regarding the hormonal pill, 34% use the combination of 0.035mg ethinyl estradiol associated with a progestin, followed by the lowest dosage of 0.02 ethinyl estradiol associated with a progestin (27.8%), 13.2% use only synthetic progestins. Regarding family history, it is observed that the main risk factor is breast cancer (18.8%). Regarding adverse effects, the majority (51.4%) reported the occurrence of some side effect to the use of contraceptives. The main adverse effects reported were: decreased libido, weight gain, headache/migraine and dermatological changes. Final considerations: despite the occurrence of side effects, it can be concluded that they are mild and the risk/benefit regarding the use of contraceptives must be considered by the doctor and patient based on the family history of breast cancer or any other contraindication.