Use of the oral contraceptive pill by Austrian adolescents with emphasis on the age of onset, side effects, compliance and lifestyle.

The present study investigated the use of the oral contraceptive pill in 880 Austrian high school girls. All participants filled in a questionnaire on lifestyle and menarche. Furthermore, subjects on the pill were asked about their preparation, age at first use, reasons why they take it, side effects and oral contraceptive compliance. All 139 subjects on the pill used low dose monophasic preparations. The girls started the pill at a mean age of 16.0 +/- 0.9 years for contraceptive and therapeutic reasons. The most commonly noted side effects were weight gain, an increase in breast size, fatigue and depression. The results also indicate that most users comply sufficiently. Regarding lifestyle, it can be stated that there is a correlation between the use of the pill and smoking, the frequency of consuming alcoholic drinks and being physically active.