New to this Contraceptive Technology website are the clinical tools for family planning providers developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Contraceptive Technology Editors hope to allow providers continued access to the evidence-based, immensely practical U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria and Selected Practice Recommendations, especially in the event that political pressures cause them to be modified or removed from the CDC website. We present them here without censorship, leaving intact their scientific integrity, respect for all patients’ needs, and promotion of patients’ open access to contraceptive methods, education, and counseling. In providing these materials, the Editors do not suggest any CDC endorsement of the Contraceptive Technology books, website, or webinars. The recommendations are intended to serve as a source of evidence-based clinical practice guidance for health care providers and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice for individual patients.

Question: I am curious. My understanding is that combined oral contraceptives (COCs) should provide ovarian cyst suppression and/or slow their progression in the setting of presumed polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). I had a patient on a COC for almost a year, when she developed a 25 cm mucinous cyst along with other cysts during that time. Read more…

There is a common belief that CHCs adversely impact mood, but the published evidence is significantly flawed, [1] 1 and recent publications have been conflicting, either demonstrating a protective effect or not, report Shaalini Ramanadhan and Alison Edelman. It is important to note that the study reporting an increased risk of depression in COC users had a risk estimate well below 2, which is considered by epidemiologists to be not significant. In those with existing depression, CHC use does not appear to worsen the condition. Read more…