Antiprogestin method for reducing side effects associated with low dosage HRT and oral contraception
First Claim
1. A method of avoiding the bleeding problems associated with administering to a female mammal for contraception dosage amounts of an estrogen low enough to create incidents of breakthrough bleeding and withdrawal amenorrhea, which comprises (a) administering the estrogen daily without interruption and (b) periodically, at intervals of at least about a month, administering to the female an amount of an antiprogestin effective to reduce or eliminate breakthrough bleeding and, optionally, to induce sloughing of accumulated endometrial tissue and thereby induce menses.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Menses regulation and, when desired, contraception is achieved at low doses of estrogen and progestin, which otherwise would create episodes of breakthrough bleeding and/or withdrawal amenorrhea, by periodically inducing menses with an antiprogestin.
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Citations
41 Claims
- 1. A method of avoiding the bleeding problems associated with administering to a female mammal for contraception dosage amounts of an estrogen low enough to create incidents of breakthrough bleeding and withdrawal amenorrhea, which comprises (a) administering the estrogen daily without interruption and (b) periodically, at intervals of at least about a month, administering to the female an amount of an antiprogestin effective to reduce or eliminate breakthrough bleeding and, optionally, to induce sloughing of accumulated endometrial tissue and thereby induce menses.
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12. A kit containing at least about 20 estrogen and progestin-containing tablets, which collectively are effective when taken on successive days to achieve continuous oral contraception in a gonadal female human being but which contain amounts thereof which are too low to avoid breakthrough bleeding incidents where administration of the tablets is interrupted for a week during each monthly cycle to induce menses;
- and containing a tablet, arranged in the kit so as to be taken after at least 20 of the estrogen and progestin-containing tablets have been taken, which contains an amount of antiprogestin effective to induce menses.
- View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
- 16. A pharmaceutical composition in solid oral unit dosage form comprising amounts of an estrogen and of a progestin contraceptively equivalent to 5 mcg to 35 mcg of ethinyl estradiol and 0.5 mg to 1.5 mg of norethindrone acetate, respectively, and an amount of an antiprogestin effective to induce menses in a female human being who has ingested daily for at least 20 days corresponding amounts of the estrogen and the progestin.
- 18. A method of contraception, comprising administering to a woman in need thereof an effective amount of estrogen, alone or in combination with an effective amount of a progestin, and an amount of antiprogestin effective to ameliorate uterine bleeding problems associated with hormone replacement therapy or contraception.
- 21. A method of avoiding the bleeding problems associated with administering to a female mammal dosage amounts of an estrogen low enough to create incidents of breakthrough bleeding and withdrawal amenorrhea during contraception, which comprises (a) administering the estrogen daily without interruption and optionally a progestin and (b) periodically, at intervals of at least about a month, administering to the female an amount of an antiprogestin effective to reduce or eliminate breakthrough bleeding and, optionally, to induce sloughing of accumulated endometrial tissue whereby menses is induced.
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38. A kit containing at least about 20 estrogen and progestin-containing tablets, which are taken on successive days to achieve continuous oral contraception in a gonadal female human being but which contain amounts thereof which are too low to avoid breakthrough bleeding incidents where administration of the tablets is interrupted for a week during each monthly cycle to induce menses;
- and containing a tablet, arranged in a kit so as to be taken after at least 20 of the estrogen and progestin-containing tablets have been taken, which contains an amount of an antiprogestin effective to induce menses.
- View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41)
Specification