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| Year : 2005 | Volume
: 12
| Issue : 2 | Page : 85-88 |
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Serum lipids in women on oral contraceptives in Zaria-Nigeria
IA Yahaya, OA Afonja
Department of Chemical Pathology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria
Correspondence Address:
I A Yahaya
Department of Chemical Pathology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria
Nigeria
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
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AIM: To compare the serum lipid levels of women on two different types of oral contraceptives, norethindrone 0.5 mg/ethinyl oestradiol 0.035 mg and norgesterol 0.5 mg/ethinyl oestradiol 0.03 mg.
METHOD: Serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels were estimated in two groups (A&B) of women. Group A were 35 women who had been on norethindrone 0.5 mg/ethinyl oestradiol 0.035 mg for over one year, while the group B were 35 women on norgesterol 0.5 mg/ethinyl oestradiol 0.03 mg for three months. Thirty five healthy, age- matched women not on oral contraceptive agent were used as controls.
RESULTS: Significantly higher levels of serum total cholesterol and triglycerides were found in the group A women compared to the group B women. The mean HDL-cholesterol level was significantly higher in the group B women in the 2nd and 3rd months of therapy than in the controls. The LDL-cholesterol levels were statistically similar in the two groups of contraceptive users and the controls. The results obtained were within the reference interval established in our laboratory.
CONCLUSION: The oral contraceptive containing norgesterol 0.5 mg/ethinyl oestradiol 0.03 mg was found to be better as it increased the levels of HDL-cholesterol more than the other lipids. It is not known if this finding will persist on long-term use of the oral contraceptive. |
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