Effects on the lipoprotein metabolism of an antiandrogen-estrogen oral contraceptive drug.

The effects on the lipoprotein metabolism of six cycles of treatment with 2 mg of the anti-androgenic progestogen Cyproterone acetate + 50 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol were prospectively studied in 22 healthy premenopausal women. The plasma level of cholesterol (C) was unchanged, while the levels of HDL-C and its subfractions HDL2-C and HDL3-C were significantly elevated after only one cycle. The LDL-C decreased after one month but then returned to pretreatment levels. VLDL-C was unchanged. The phospholipid concentrations within the various lipoprotein fractions generally resembled those of the corresponding cholesterol fraction. The levels of fibrinogen in plasma and of triglycerides in plasma and in the lipoprotein fractions were elevated. It is concluded that the drug had a predominant and rather pronounced estrogenic profile.