Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Medical Journal logoLink to British Medical Journal
. 1976 Dec 4;2(6048):1354–1356. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6048.1354

Changed levels of endogenous sex steroids in women on oral contraceptives.

J M Kjeld, C M Puah, G F Joplin
PMCID: PMC1690292  PMID: 1000230

Abstract

Serum and urinary levels of unconjugated testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and oestradiol were measured by specific radioimmunoassays in 10 healthy women in the early follicular phase of their menstrual cycle and in nine healthy women taking oral contraceptives. The contraceptive group had testosterone levels 1-3 times higher and dihydrotestosterone levels two times higher than those in the controls. Serum oestradiol levels in the contraceptive group were much lower than those in the controls and similar to levels in postmenopausal women. The contraceptive group had about twice the urinary excretion of unconjugated (free) testosterone and dihydrotestosterone of the controls, but their excretion of unconjugated oestradiol was 2-7 times lower. The great increase in serum and urinary androgen concentrations, as well as the suppression of oestradiol, may be related to the antiovulatory effect of oral contraceptives.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Abraham G. E. Ovarian and adrenal contribution to peripheral androgens during the menstrual cycle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1974 Aug;39(2):340–346. doi: 10.1210/jcem-39-2-340. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson D. C. Sex-hormone-binding globulin. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1974 Jan;3(1):69–96. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1974.tb03298.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Baird D. T., Fraser I. S. Blood production and ovarian secretion rates of estradiol-17 beta and estrone in women throughout the menstrual cycle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1974 Jun;38(6):1009–1017. doi: 10.1210/jcem-38-6-1009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Barberia J. M., Thorneycroft I. H. Simultaneous radioimmunoassay of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Steroids. 1974 May;23(5):757–766. doi: 10.1016/0039-128x(74)90163-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Beckerhoff R., Vetter W., Armbruster H., Luetscher J. A., Siegenthaler W. Plasma-aldosterone during oral-contraceptive therapy. Lancet. 1973 Jun 2;1(7814):1218–1219. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(73)90530-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Briggs M. H. Hormonal contraceptives and plasma sex hormone binding globulin. Contraception. 1975 Aug;12(2):149–153. doi: 10.1016/s0010-7824(75)80019-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Briggs M., Briggs M. Plasma hormone concentrations in women receiving steroid contraceptives. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Commonw. 1972 Oct;79(10):946–950. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1972.tb12193.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Burke C. W., Beardwell C. G. Cushing's syndrome. An evaluation of the clinical usefulness of urinary free cortisol and other urinary steroid measurements in diagnosis. Q J Med. 1973 Jan;42(165):175–204. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Clark A. F., Carson G. D., Delory B., Clemow M. E., Bird C. E. Effects of oestrogen administration on testosterone metabolism in normal men. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1973 Oct;2(4):361–368. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.1973.tb01722.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Easterling W. E., Jr, Talbert L. M., Potter H. D. Serum testosterone levels in the polycystic ovary syndrome. Effect of an estrogen-progestin on protein binding of testosterone. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1974 Oct 10;120(3):385–389. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(74)90242-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Forchielli E., Rao G. S., Sarda I. R., Gibree N. B., Pochi P. E., Strauss J. S., Dorfman R. I. Effect of ethinyloestradiol on plasma testosterone levels and urinary testosterone excretion in man. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 1965 Sep;50(1):51–54. doi: 10.1530/acta.0.0500051. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Givens J. R., Andersen R. N., Wiser W. L., Umstot E. S., Fish S. A. The effectiveness of two oral contraceptives in suppressing plasma androstenedione, testosterone, LH, and FSH, and in stimulating plasma testosterone-binding capacity in hirsute women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1976 Feb 15;124(4):333–339. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(76)90089-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Guerrero R., Aso T., Brenner P. F., Cekan Z., Landgren B. M., Hagenfeldt K., Diczfalusy E. Studies on the pattern of circulating steroids in the normal menstrual cycle. I. Simultaneous assays of progesterone, pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione, oestradiol and oestrone. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 1976 Jan;81(1):133–149. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Jaffe R. B., Keye W. R., Jr Modulation of pituitary response to hypothalamic releasing factors. J Steroid Biochem. 1975 Jun;6(6):1055–1060. doi: 10.1016/0022-4731(75)90349-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Johansson E. D. Plasma levels of progesterone and oestrogens in women treated with an oral contraceptive of low oestrogen content (Ovostat 1375). Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 1975;54(3):217–221. doi: 10.3109/00016347509157764. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kjeld J. M., Kuku S. F., Harsoulis P., Fraser T. R., Puah C. M., Joplin G. F. Infusions of hFSH and hLH in normal men. II. Serum testosterone response to infused hLH and hFSH. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 1976 Feb;81(2):234–242. doi: 10.1530/acta.0.0810234. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Larsson K., Södersten P., Beyer C. Induction of male sexual behaviour by oestradiol benzoate in combination with dihydrotestosterone. J Endocrinol. 1973 Jun;57(3):563–564. doi: 10.1677/joe.0.0570563. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Liao S., Fang S. Receptor-proteims for androgens and the mode of action of androgens on gene transcription in ventral prostate. Vitam Horm. 1969;27:17–90. doi: 10.1016/s0083-6729(08)61124-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Mishell D. R., Jr, Thorneycroft I. H., Nakamura R. M., Nagata Y., Stone S. C. Serum estradiol in women ingesting combination oral contraceptive steroids. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1972 Dec 1;114(7):923–928. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(72)90098-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Palmiter R. D., Haines M. E. Regulation of protein synthesis in chick oviduct. IV, Role of testosterone. J Biol Chem. 1973 Mar 25;248(6):2107–2116. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Tremblay R. R., Dube J. Y. Plasma concentrations of free and non-TeBG bound testosterone in women on oral contraceptives. Contraception. 1974 Dec;10(6):599–605. doi: 10.1016/0010-7824(74)90099-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Vermeulen A., Verdonck L. Plasma androgen levels during the menstrual cycle. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1976 Jun 15;125(4):491–494. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(76)90363-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. van Kammen E., Thijssen J. H., Rademaker B., Schwarz F. The influence of hormonal contraceptives on sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) capacity. Contraception. 1975 Jan;11(1):53–59. doi: 10.1016/0010-7824(75)90050-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Medical Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES