Women may choose flexible extended combined hormonal contraception regimes if offered information about them

Alternative combined hormonal contraceptive (CHC) regimes have received greater attention in recent times and feature in the forthcoming updated FSRH clinical guideline. A multicentre, cross-sectional epidemiological study of women in Spain attending for CHC assessed self-reported use of traditional versus flexible extended regimes following counselling using a standardised decision aid. Just under 50% of women opted to use the flexible extended regime, primarily to avoid menstruation and menstruation-related symptoms. Of those who favoured the traditional regime, 18.1% reported the desire to have monthly bleeds to reassure them they were not pregnant, demonstrating the need for further education that a monthly withdrawal bleed does not exclude pregnancy in a CHC user.

Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care 2018; https://doi.org/10.1080/13625187.2018.1493099

Intrauterine contraception is safe for nulliparous women

Whether or not to initiate intrauterine contraception (IUC) for nulliparous women has long been a bone of contention for many clinicians. A systematic review has evaluated randomised and observational data regarding insertion of IUC in nulliparous …