Effect of administration and withdrawal of oral contraceptive pills on serum lipids and lipoproteins.

We studied the effects of oral contraceptive pills (OCP) supplied by the Govt of India in its Family Welfare Campaign, on serum lipid levels of women. The OCP, containing 30 micrograms ethinyl estradiol and 1 mg of norethisterone acetate were administered to the women for six months continuously and serum lipid levels were estimated after three and six months of the treatment. There were no significant changes in serum cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), serum triglycerides and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). In a simultaneous study we also measured serum lipid levels at 3 and 6 months after withdrawal of the pills in women who had been receiving OCP containing 50 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol and 0.5 mg of one of the progesterones for the past 1 1/2 to 2 years continuously. Only serum LDL level fell significantly (P less than 0.01) on 3 months withdrawal period. It is concluded that 6 months of usage of the OCP marketed by the Govt. of India does not affect the serum lipid profile.