WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved the first vaginal ring contraceptive that can be used for an entire year.
Annovera, a combined hormonal contraceptive for women of reproductive age used to prevent pregnancy, is a reusable donut-shaped, non-biodegradable, flexible vaginal system that is placed in the vagina for three weeks followed by one week out of the vagina, at which time women may experience a period.
Its schedule can be repeated every four weeks for one year or thirteen 28-day menstrual cycles.
Annovera can be washed and stored in a compact case for the seven days not in use and it does not require refrigeration prior to dispensing and can withstand storage temperatures up to 30°C, according to the FDA.
Its efficacy and safety were studied in three, open label clinical trials with healthy women ranging from 18 to 40 years of age.
Based on the results, about two to four women out of 100 women may get pregnant during the first year they use Annovera.
The most common side effects in women using Annovera are similar to those of other combined hormonal contraceptive products and include headache, nausea, yeast infections, abdominal pain, painful menstruation, breast tenderness, irregular bleeding, diarrhea and genital itching.
