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Menstruation DisturbancesPhase 4NCT02070692

Tamoxifen for the Treatment of Unfavorable Bleeding in Contraceptive Implant Users

A Phase 4 study testing Tamoxifen in people with Menstruation Disturbances, run by Oregon Health and Science University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to study whether a drug called tamoxifen can reduce vaginal bleeding in women who are using the Etonogestrel contraceptive implant. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 15 to 45 years, women only
Conditions the study is for
Menstruation Disturbances
What is being tested?
Tamoxifen
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
56 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Feb 2014to Dec 2015
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 15 to 45 years
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Current user of the etonogestrel implant (Nexplanon, Implanon) for at least one month
  • Experiencing bleeding episodes more frequently than every 24 days, or a single episode of bleeding lasting longer than 14 days
  • English or Spanish speaking
  • Planning to continue implant use for six months
  • Access to a cell phone that can accept and send text messages

Who cannot join

  • Postpartum within six months
  • Post-abortion within six weeks
  • Pregnant
  • Breast-feeding
  • Undiagnosed abnormal uterine bleeding pre-dating placement of contraceptive implant
  • Bleeding dyscrasia
Show all 12Show fewer
  • Anticoagulation use
  • Active cervicitis
  • Allergy to tamoxifen
  • History of venous thromboembolism
  • Current or past breast or uterine malignancy
  • Use of medication contraindicated with tamoxifen (coumadin, letrozole, bromocriptine, rifampicin, aminoglutethimide, phenobarbital)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)

    Portland, Oregon, 97239

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Tamoxifen for the Treatment of Unfavorable Bleeding Patterns in Etonogestrel Contraceptive Implant Users

The purpose of this study is to study whether a drug called tamoxifen can reduce vaginal bleeding in women who are using the Etonogestrel contraceptive implant.

Read the detailed description

Nearly all of the 3 million unintended pregnancies in the United States each year result from inconsistent or non-use of contraception. Increasing use of the most effective methods of contraception will reduce unintended pregnancies and their social, medical and economic consequences. The contraceptive etonogestrel implant (ENG implant) is 20 times more effective at pregnancy prevention than oral contraceptive pills, but it has bleeding side effects that make it unappealing for many women. Tamoxifen, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) used most commonly for adjuvant treatment of breast cancer, has previously been shown to dramatically reduce bleeding in users of an older levonorgestrel-based contraceptive implant (Norplant tm). It has not been studied in newer progestin-based methods such as the ENG implant. If tamoxifen could stop bleeding in users of the ENG implant, it would give patients and physicians a valuable option for management of progestin-induced irregular bleeding. This research project will test the effectiveness of tamoxifen taken on an as-needed basis to treat abnormal bleeding in ENG implant users. If tamoxifen can be established as an effective treatment for frequent or prolonged bleeding, it will increase the acceptability of the ENG implant, increase its use and reduce unintended pregnancies. This is the first project to evaluate tamoxifen for treatment of unfavorable bleeding in users of the ENG contraceptive implant.

Being tested
Tamoxifen, Placebo
Keywords
Contraceptive implant, Irregular vaginal bleeding, Etonogestrel implant
Medical subject headings
Menstruation Disturbances

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • TamoxifenDrug

    Also called Nolvadex

    7 day course of tamoxifen during an episode of irregular vaginal bleeding

  • PlaceboDrug

    7 day course of placebo during an episode of irregular vaginal bleeding

Study groups in NCT02070692
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
TamoxifenExperimentalParticipants will be randomized to receive either tamoxifen 10mg twice daily for seven days, or placebo twice daily for seven days, to be started on the third day of an episode of bleeding.
Receives: Drug: Tamoxifen
PlaceboPlacebo comparatorPlacebo tablets twice daily for seven days, to be started on the third day of a bleeding episode.
Receives: Drug: Placebo

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Bleeding Days

    The primary objective of this study is to determine whether tamoxifen taken by users of the ENG implant on an as-needed basis for frequent or prolonged bleeding can reduce the number of bleeding days by at least 40% over 180 days, when compared to placebo.

    Measured: 180 days

  2. Bleeding/Spotting Days

    Bleeding/spotting days

    Measured: 30 days

  3. Consecutive Bleeding-free Days After Study Drug

    Consecutive bleeding-free days after study drug

    Measured: up to 180 days

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Satisfaction (as Recorded on a 100mm Visual Analog Scale Where 0 is Not at All Satisfied and 100mm is Completely Satisfied)

    Secondary objective is to determine whether tamoxifen can improve satisfaction with the implant and with bleeding patterns.

    Measured: 180 days

  2. Number of Participants Experiencing Ovulation After First Use of Study Drug

    A third secondary objective is to determine whether taking tamoxifen at this dose compromises ovulation suppression in ENG users. Tamoxifen is known to transiently raise serum estradiol levels, but does not affect gonadotropin release in premenopausal women. Therefore, it is unlikely to interact with the ovulation suppression provided by the implant. However, to further investigate any theoretical interaction between tamoxifen and etonogestrel, urine markers of ovulation will be collected to document ongoing ovulation suppression with intermittent tamoxifen use.

    Measured: 30 days

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted25 Feb 2014 (estimated)
  2. Study startFeb 2014
  3. Primary completionDec 2015
  4. Study completionDec 2015

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
56 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02070692
Sponsor's protocol ID
SFPRF14-1
Other IDs
SFPRF14-1
Status last verified
Jun 2017
First submitted
21 Feb 2014
Last updated
2 Jul 2017
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided: Study under review for publication

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Tamoxifen in people with Menstruation Disturbances, run by Oregon Health and Science University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 12 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Jul 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 14 Jun 2017). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Bleeding Days (time frame: 180 days). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Jul 2017.

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