A study of adrenal corticol function and its reserve activity in long-acting injectable contraceptive users

Adrenal function and its reserve capacity were studied in eighteen healthy non-lactating women who received depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA: 9 subjects) and norethisterone enanthate (NET-EN: 9 subjects) as long-acting injectable contraceptives. Methodological assessments included: (i) morning fasting concentration of serum cortisol; (ii) diurnal variation of adrenal corticol activity as evidenced by cortisol concentration in serum samples taken at 0700 and 1600 hours; (iii) urinary free cortisol excretion; and (iv) cortisol response to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. None of these assessments was significantly altered by contraceptive administration. This finding indicates that the subject's ability to release cortisol in response to a stressful situation, as well as to normal day-to-day activity, was not impaired by these contraceptive steroids.