Metabolic effects of contraceptive steroids. I. Observations of blood lipids

Semilongitudinal observations on fasting blood sugar, total lipids, cholesterol, phospholipids, triglycerides, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), and lipoproteins were carried out on 116 women taking combination type oral contraceptives for 3-42 cycles. The changes observed differed with each constituent. Total lipids showed significant increase throughout the period of observation. Cholesterol and phospholipds showed significant increases after about 12 cycles of administration whereas triglycerides showed an increase after 6 cycles of medication. NEFA showed significant decrease in the 1st-3rd cycles. The alpha and beta lipoprotein ratios showed significant changes after 13-24 cycles of treatment. The general trend of change observed is similar to that reported during pregnancy.