Success with oral contraceptives: a pilot study.

The objective of this pilot study was to examine the effectiveness of a postpartum educational intervention aimed at increasing compliance with oral contraception (OCs) and decreasing repeat pregnancies in young, African American women in the year following an unplanned pregnancy. In this longitudinal study, 43 young, pregnant women attending Prentice Ambulatory Care, Northwestern Hospital, were enrolled and 33 were randomized to receive an antepartum, multicomponent intervention consisting of counseling, a videotape about OCs and written material or resident-physician counseling (usual care). Questionnaire data were collected at enrollment, immediately following the intervention, at 6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months. At 1 year, 25 women remained in the study. More women in the intervention group were not pregnant and still using contraception, and were able to successfully switch contraceptive methods compared to women in the control group. There was no decrease in repeat pregnancy in the intervention group at 1 year compared to the control group. Our intervention resulted in a sustained increase in knowledge of OCs throughout the study period. However, more is needed to promote postpartum contraceptive compliance and decrease repeat pregnancies in young, low-income African Americans with unintended pregnancies.