Globulines anormalment precipitables (GAP) in Nigerian users of progestogen-only pill

The globulines anormalment precipitables (GAP), which have been reported to be raised in current and former oral contraceptive users, were measured in Nigerian subjects which included male volunteers. The results showed that GAP were present in males who had never used contraceptives and that the mean values were lowest in intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) users and highest in females who had never used any contraceptives. However, current contraceptive users had lower mean GAP values than either former users or never users. It was therefore concluded that GAP levels alone cannot be used to predict the development of thromboembolic complications in pill users, and that ethinyl estradiol cannot be the main physiological stimulus for GAP synthesis.