Effects of Various contraceptive methods on Clinical and Metabolic Parameters

Widespread usage of contraceptive pills and Medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera) as an injectable contraceptive can affect various biochemical and physiological factors, such as lipid profiles, fasting blood sugar (FBS) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the use of oral contraceptives, medroxyprogesterone acetate and natural birth control methods with biochemical and physiological markers.

In this study, the serum samples of all subjects (200 women taking depo-Provera, 200 taking contraceptive pills and 200 women who had natural birth control) were collected. Then fast blood sugar, lipid profiles, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and BMI were measured and recorded.

There was no significant difference between the mean and standard deviation of FBS and HDL between the three examined groups, but there were significant differences in lipid profiles biomarkers, blood pressure and BMI among three groups. Indeed, mean TG, LDL, cholesterol, BMI and systolic and diastolic blood pressure showed significant higher levels in contraceptive pills users compared to other groups. Also, in the users of depotmedroxyprogesterone acetate, the mean of TG, LDL, cholesterol, BMI and systolic blood pressure was significantly higher than the natural birth control users. There was a significant difference between the three groups in terms of the duration of the contraceptive method usage, which indicated that the depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate was utilized for a long period of time in compared to other methods. In addition, contraceptive pills users were more likely to suffer from headache and nausea, and depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate users experienced changes in their menstrual cycle, such as spotting.

It seems that oral contraceptive has no significant relationship with serum HDL level, and cholesterol is more affected by contraceptive drugs.