Clinical Scorecard: Contraceptive Use Among Women of Reproductive Age Living With Bipolar Disorder
At a Glance
Category
Detail
Condition
Contraceptive use among females aged 18–50 years with bipolar disorder
Key Mechanisms
Bipolar disorder is associated with sexual risk behaviors and higher rates of early, unplanned, or inadequately planned pregnancy. The article notes that some medications used during the perinatal period may compromise contraceptive efficacy or carry teratogenic risks.
Target Population
Females aged 18–50 years with clinician-confirmed DSM-IV bipolar disorder selected for the present analysis from the MONTRA survey.
Care Setting
MONTRA data were collected in France in 2010–2011 from psychiatrists working in hospital and outpatient settings; participating psychiatrists recorded routine-care information over four consecutive days.
Key Highlights
The study aimed to assess effective contraceptive use and describe associated sociodemographic, clinical, and pharmacological characteristics.
Withdrawal was excluded from the study’s effective-contraception category, in line with the stated WHO guidance.
The analysis used MONTRA survey data from patients previously known to and currently managed by participating psychiatrists.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
Management
The article states that shared decision-making is recommended as a patient-centered approach to weighing treatment risks and benefits during the perinatal period.
Monitoring & Follow-up
Risks
The article reports that bipolar disorder is associated with sexual risk behaviors, early pregnancy, and unplanned or inadequately planned pregnancy.
The article states that discontinuing pharmacological treatment during pregnancy or postpartum is associated with increased risk of illness recurrence.
The article notes that some anticonvulsant mood stabilizers and lithium may raise concerns about contraceptive efficacy or teratogenicity.
Patient & Prescribing Data
The MONTRA survey enrolled adults aged 18–60 years with clinician-confirmed DSM-IV bipolar disorder; the present analysis was limited to females aged 50 years or younger.
The supplied article text describes the study aims and methods but does not provide results on contraceptive-use prevalence, associated factors, or specific prescribing patterns.
Clinical Best Practices
The article describes shared decision-making as a recommended approach to weighing treatment risks and benefits during the perinatal period.
