Belara® – A reliable oral contraceptive with additional benefits for health and efficacy in dysmenorrhoea

Abstract

Although modern oral contraceptives are safe and have few side-effects, compliance towards them is sometimes less than ideal for various reasons. Compliance, however, can only be achieved when the contraceptive method is accepted by the users, that is, when it is adapted to their individual needs. Consisting of a combination of 2 mg chlormadinone acetate and 0.03 mg ethinylestradiol, Belara® is a modern oral hormonal contraceptive with an unadjusted Pearl index of 0.44 (95% CI, 0.2–0.8) and an adjusted one of 0.04 (95% CI, 0.002–0.2). Its compliance rate in clinical use has been shown to be above 90%. This good acceptance is a consequence of the low rate of intermenstrual bleeding (about 8% up to the 3^rd cycle and below 2% from the 12^th cycle); its high cycle stability (in approximately 98% from the 6^th cycle); the good weight stability (weight is unchanged in about 84% from the 12^th cycle); and finally the very low rate of side-effects (below 2% after 12 cycles). In addition, a number of other benefits of using Belara® also contribute to this good compliance rate. These include almost 70% improvement or complete remission of increased seborrhoea after 12 months, almost 90% improvement or cure of acne after 12 months, and improvement or remission of dysmenorrhoea after 12 months in 79% of cases. After 4 months, improvement or remission of dysmenorrhoea associated with the use of another ovulation inhibitor was seen in more than 90% of cases after switching to Belara®. In conclusion, besides being an effective, modern oral hormonal contraceptive Belara® offers a considerable range of additional benefits for a range of symptoms, including primary dysmenorrhea and acne.

Key Words:

• Oral contraceptive
• Ethinylestradiol/chlormadinone acetate
• Compliance
• Menstrual irregularities
• Dysmenorrhea
• Acne