title: Combined oral contraceptive pills containing desogestrel or drospirenone enhance large vessel and microvasculature vasodilation in healthy premenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effects of different COCs on endothelial function.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  COCs all contain ethinylestradiol, but different progestins; three of the more common progestins are DSG, LN, and DR. Ethinylestradiol enhances some measures of vascular reactivity, but certain progestins may increase risk of vascular diseases and impair endothelial vasodilation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-nine healthy women taking COCs containing 30 μg ethinylestradiol and 150 μg DSG (Marvelon, n = 10), 150 μg LN (Microgynon, n = 10), or 3 mg DR (Yasmin, n = 9) had their vascular reactivity measured using various techniques during their pill-free week (days 5-7) and the third week of active pills (days 26-28). A reference group (n = 10) underwent the same measurements on two consecutive cycles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FMD and LDI were significantly higher during active-pill visits than pill-free visits in women taking DSG and DR (p < 0.02), but not in women taking LN. There were no differences between the duplicate measures in the reference group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  COCs containing 150 μg DSG or 3 mg DR significantly increase endothelium-dependent vasodilation in both large vessels and peripheral microvasculature. These effects may be due to the progestins exhibiting differential effects on eNOS expression.
authors.affiliation: Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, Department of Food and Nutrition Science, University of Reading, Reading, UK. a.k.thompson@reading.ac.uk
authors.forename: Abby K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Przemska
authors.forename: Dafni
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vasilopoulou
authors.forename: Katie J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Newens
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000736:Androstenes / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003280:Contraceptives, Oral, Synthetic; D017135:Desogestrel / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000201:enzymology*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013997:Time Factors; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000736:Androstenes; D003280:Contraceptives, Oral, Synthetic; D004967:Estrogens; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D017135:Desogestrel; C496314:NOS3 protein, human; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C035144:drospirenone