The present work was a randomized comparative study of two injectable progestogen-only contraceptives. The first group (200 subjects) received 150 mg of depotmedroxyprogesterone acetate (Depoprovera) every 84 +/- 7 days and the second (200 subjects) received 200 mg of norethisterone enanthate (Noristerat) every 56 +/- 7 days. Acceptors of injectable contraceptives in Assiut, Egypt, were mainly women looking for fertility termination. Menstrual disruption was the main side effect among both treatment groups. Amenorrhoea was the commonest menstrual complaint and was the main reason for discontinuation in both groups. Only one pregnancy occurred during NET-EN use; two more pregnancies occurred, one in each of the two groups but there were indications that conception preceded the first injection. Menstrual irregularities were generally more frequent with DMPA users. However, DMPA had better one-year continuation rates than NET-EN (68.8 +/- 3.5 and 57.1 +/- 3.6 per 100 women, respectively).