title: The effect of different contraceptive treatments on the serum concentration of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate.
abstract: Twenty-six healthy, non-hirsute women had antecubital venous blood obtained before and during treatment with various contraceptive steroids for the measurement of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). Six of the women were randomized to receive Ortho Novum 1/35 (O/N), 7 were assigned to Ovcon 35 (OV), and another five received Nordette (N). The 6 women ingesting O/N as well as the 7 receiving OV had significant decreases in serum concentrations of DHEA-S (p less than 0.05). The percentage of decrease in DHEA-S in the O/N group (39 +/- 6%) and in the OV group (30 +/- 5%) was not statistically different. The group receiving N showed no changes from baseline measurements. Serum samples from another 8 women who had received subcutaneous implants of levonorgestrel (1-Ng) were obtained. No significant changes occurred in serum DHEA-S between baseline and six-month samples. The data that 1-Ng alone and the combination of 1-Ng and ethinylestradiol did not change DHEA-S levels suggest that 1-Ng does not affect adrenal androgen secretion. Because N, O/N and OV contain similar quantities of ethinylestradiol, these results indicate that norethindrone, but not 1-Ng, has a major suppressive effect upon adrenal androgen secretion.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003277:Contraceptives, Oral, Combined / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003280:Contraceptives, Oral, Synthetic / Q000494:pharmacology; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology; D019304:Ethinyl Estradiol-Norgestrel Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016912:Levonorgestrel; D008656:Mestranol / Q000494:pharmacology; D009640:Norethindrone / Q000494:pharmacology; D009644:Norgestrel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D003277:Contraceptives, Oral, Combined; D003280:Contraceptives, Oral, Synthetic; D004338:Drug Combinations; D009644:Norgestrel; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate; D016912:Levonorgestrel; C014715:Norinyl; D019304:Ethinyl Estradiol-Norgestrel Combination; D008656:Mestranol; D009640:Norethindrone