title: Pharmacokinetics of a single oral dose of 1.5-mg levonorgestrel when administered as 750-mug tablets or as 30-microg minipills.
abstract: We examined the pharmacokinetics of a single dose of 1.5 mg of levonorgestrel when administered orally in two different formulations: two tablets of 0.75 mg or 50 minipills of 30 microg of levonorgestrel. Bioavailability of levonorgestrel with minipills was comparable to that with levonorgestrel tablets. These findings suggest that levonorgestrel-containing minipills can be considered as an alternative to standard levonorgestrel tablets for use in emergency contraception.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Materno Infantil and Departamento de Obstetricia y Ginecologia, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. ldevoto@med.uchile.cl
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Devoto
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Espinoza
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: von Hertzen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001682:Biological Availability; D044363:Contraception, Postcoital / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016912:Levonorgestrel / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D016912:Levonorgestrel