Plasma high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels during long-term use of an oral contraceptive in Nigerian women.

Total and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were estimated in 131 blood samples obtained from women who had been taking the oral contraceptive Noriday 1 + 50Fe (one packet contains 21 tablets of 1 mg of norethindrone + 0.05 mg of mestranol, and 7 of 75 mg of ferrous fumarate) for 1-60 months. Thirty five women who had never used oral contraception (OC) formed the control group. There was a significantly higher mean HDL cholesterol level, and HDL cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio but not total cholesterol level in the women who had been using OC for 19-60 months. The values in women who had been using OC for 1-18 months were not significantly different from those in the control group. The increase in the HDL cholesterol level may not depend on the oestrogen content of the oral contraceptive but on the duration of its intake.