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After 20 years of oral contraceptive (OC) use, epidemiological data and scientific research have led to the now accepted evidence that the most important effect produced by these drugs on humans, other than the prevention of unwanted pregnancy, is an increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease. Because the incidence of cardiovascular disease is also related to disturbances of the lipoprotein metabolism, it appears to be opportune to analyse the different aspects of the interaction between female hormones and lipoprotein (LP) metab olism. SERUM LIPOPROTEINS: METABOLISM In the serum, lipids (cholesterol (C), triglycerides (TG), and phospho lipids) are associated with peptides called apoproteins: apoproteins A-I, A-11, B, C, etc. The chylomicrons and the very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) are rich in TG and contain the Apo B-48; the low density lipoproteins (LDL) are rich inC and contain the Apo B- 100; and the high density lipoproteins (HDL) are rich in proteins (Apo A-I, Apo A-Il) and phospholipids.
Despite the fact that modern low-dose oral contraceptives are very seldom associated with serious adverse effects, knowledge of the contraindications for oral contraceptive use is particularly important because of the many misconceptions that still exist and which are largely historical in origin.
BIRTH CONTROL, CONTRACEPTION, FAMILY PLANNING. Heralded as the catalyst of the sexual revolution and the solution to global overpopulation, the contraceptive pill was one of the twentieth century's most important inventions. It has not only transformed the lives of millions of women but has also pushed the limits of drug monitoring and regulation across the world. This deeply-researched new history of the oral contraceptive shows how its development and use have raised crucial questions about the relationship between science, medicine, technology, and society. Lara Marks explores the reasons why the pill took so long to be developed and explains why it did not prove to be the social panacea envisioned by its inventors. Unacceptable to the Catholic Church, rejected by countries such as India and Japan, too expensive for women in poor countries, it has, more recently, been linked to cardiovascular problems.
This is a compact scientific monograph on the extragenital effects of a combined formulation of ethinylestradiol at an acceptable dose of 30 ¦g and the new progestogen, dienogest. The book contains five main chapters on cardiovascular risks, ideal doses, clinical experiences, and hormonal control of androgenic disorders in women. The studies reported in this volume are of special interest to practitioners and researchers because in clinical trials this new formulation has provided reliable contraceptive action with good cycle control and a high level of acceptability. These studies lend support to expectations derived from the basic pharmacological experimentations, mostly animal-based, showing that the new progestogen does not interfere with the metabolism of ethinylestradiol in the liver, is an effective inhibitor of ovulation when used in combination with ethinylestradiol, has negligible estrogenic and no androgenic or mineralocorticoid effects and minimal metabolic action, a nd has distinct anti-androgenic properties. The book contains bibliographic references and a thorough index.
"In 1968, a popular writer ranked the pill's importance with the discovery of fire and the developments of tool-making, hunting, agriculture, urbanism, scientific medicine, and nuclear energy. Twenty-five years later, the leading British weekly, the Economist, listed the pill as one of the seven wonders of the modern world. The image of the oral contraceptive as revolutionary persists in popular culture, yet the nature of the changes it supposedly brought about has not been fully investigated. After more than thirty-five years on the market, the role of the pill is due for a thorough examination."—from the Introduction In this fresh look at the pill's cultural and medical history, Elizabeth Siegel Watkins re-examines the scientific and ideological forces that led to its development, the part women played in debates over its application, and the role of the media, medical profession, and pharmaceutical industry in deciding issues of its safety and meaning. Her study helps us not only to understand the contraceptive revolution as such but also to appreciate the misinterpretations that surround it.
R.B. GREENBLATT The original oral contraceptives contained more oestrogen in the form of ethinyloestradiol or mestranol and progestagen in the form of norethynodrel or norethisterone than was necessary f(x conception control. There has been a trend over the years to reduce dosages of both components in order to minimize side eHects while ensuring eflcctiveness. However, as dosages were lowered, there has been an increase in spotting and break through bleeding during the first few months of their adminis tration. The sequential pill appeared more physiological in that it followed more closely physiological principles, but the need to employ large doses ofEE or EE3ME to inhibit O\'ulation and ...