TABLE 3.
Serum concentrations of estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) across the four cycle phases for the non-hormonal contraceptive (EUM) and hormonal contraceptive (CHC) groups.
| EUM |
CHC |
ANOVA |
|||||||||
| Bleeding | Mid FOL | Ovulation | Mid LUT | Bleeding | Active 1 | Active 2 | Inactive | Phase | Group | Phase × group | |
| E2 (pmol⋅L–1) | 285 ± 139 | 537 ± 381 | 689 ± 479 * |
669 ± 233 * |
300 ± 270 | 190 ± 138 | 217 ± 234 * |
189 ± 108 * |
F = 2.575 p = 0.084 |
F = 12.340
p = 0.002 |
F = 3.519
p = 0.035 |
| P4 (nmol⋅L–1) | 1.94 ± 1.64 | 1.02 ± 0.43 | 4.08 ± 2.58 * |
14.77 ± 8.4 * |
1.05 ± 0.52 | 1.00 ± 0.48 | 1.14 ± 0.97 * |
1.18 ± 1.01 * |
F = 16.986
p < 0.001 |
F = 21.392
p < 0.001 |
F = 15.572
p < 0.001 |
| LH (mIU⋅L–1) | 5.77 ± 3.32 | 6.85 ± 2.77 * |
14.16 ± 13.04 * |
4.32 ± 2.80 | 3.75 ± 2.87 | 2.97 ± 3.17 * |
1.79 ± 2.08 * |
2.54 ± 2.42 |
F = 3.386 p = 0.069 |
F = 7.813
p = 0.011 |
F = 5.000
p = 0.028 |
| FSH (IU⋅L–1) | 5.43 ± 2.48 | 6.62 ± 2.73 * |
6.82 ± 2.99 * |
2.81 ± 1.23 | 4.36 ± 2.24 | 2.34 ± 1.81 * |
1.82 ± 1.61 * |
2.86 ± 2.40 |
F = 6.048
p = 0.001 |
F = 10.458
p = 0.004 |
F = 7.523
p < 0.001 |
Values are presented as mean ± SD and significant ANOVA findings are denoted in bold. Simple main effects for phase were observed for E2, P4, LH, and FSH in EUM (F = 7.62, p < 0.001; F = 41.56, p < 0.001; F = 10.42, p < 0.001; and F = 13.75, p < 0.001) but not in CHC (F = 0.11, p = 0.956; F = 0.02, p = 0.995; F = 0.19, p = 0.903; and F = 2.31, p = 0.085). Simple main effects for group at each phase are denoted by “*” in the table (p < 0.05).