[Contraception in adolescents included in a family planning program].

OBJECTIVE

To describe the motives of consultation, kinds of contraceptive methods and side-effects of oral contraceptives (OCs) in adolescent users of a family planning program.

DESIGN

Family planning program at the District Primary Care Unit, Cádiz, Spain.

PATIENTS: 283 adolescent females who requested attendance in a family planning program from January 1993 until January 1994.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN

RESULTS

A medical history of every adolescent was carried out and every patient was examined. Those who were recommended the use of OCs passed through 3 controls: at the beginning, after the 6th month and after 1 year. These controls consisted in recording sexual risk behaviours as well as several analytic tests.

RESULTS

Most adolescents requested the prescription of contraceptive methods (81.7% of the most prescribed and demanded methods were OCs). We found no serious side-effects after 1 year, so we can conclude that OCs are an usefull contraceptive choice for sexually active adolescents because of its security, acceptance and easy use.