norethindrone-enanthate and Obesity

Young women under the age of 16 years require special consideration when requesting contraception. Such young women can give voluntary consent, which enables prescription and supply providing that the practitioner has determined that the minor is sufficiently mature to understand the details of the method and its use. All reversible methods may be appropriate but it is necessary to provide information in a form that is fully understood. For women with pre-existing medical conditions including obesity, the benefits and risks of the use of individual methods needs to be weighed against the risks of pregnancy for that woman.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Anemia; Breast Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Condoms; Contraception; Contraceptive Agents, Female; Contraindications; Desogestrel; Diabetes Mellitus; Drug Combinations; Drug Implants; Epilepsy; Ethinyl Estradiol; Female; Heart Valve Diseases; Humans; Hypertension; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Injections; Intrauterine Devices; Levonorgestrel; Liver Diseases; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate; Migraine Disorders; Norethindrone; Norgestrel; Obesity; Patient Preference; Pregnancy; Progestins; Stroke; Young Adult

Lipid concentrations were measured in 74 blood samples from 61 women who had been using the injectable contraceptive Norigest (norethisterone oenanthate) for between 2 to 4-1/2 years. There were no significant changes in the concentrations of total cholesterol, total triglycerides and low density and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol but high density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly reduced. The reduction in serum HDL-C levels was not correlated with either the serum norethisterone concentrations or the length of use of Norigest nor was it affected by obesity or smoking.

Topics: Adult; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, HDL; Cholesterol, LDL; Cholesterol, VLDL; Contraceptive Agents, Female; Female; Humans; Lipids; Lipoproteins; Lipoproteins, HDL; Lipoproteins, LDL; Lipoproteins, VLDL; Middle Aged; Norethindrone; Obesity; Smoking

Obesity is known to affect many aspects of the metabolism of steroid hormones. Both Depo-Provera and Norigest are highly lipid-soluble steroids so that it might be expected that their metabolism would be especially affected in obesity. This study compares rate of uptake and metabolism in these 2 steroids in groups of obese and thin women. Each of 4 groups (each steroid taken by both thin and obese women) of 10 women was injected with either Depo-Provera or Norigest and blood was collected prior to injection and at weekly intervals during the following 12 weeks. There was no significant difference in the serum levels of the contraceptive steroids between the groups. Both follicular and luteal activity returned earlier in women injected with Norigest, but there was no difference between thin and obese women in this area. The authors conclude that the blood concentrations of the steroids do not differ markedly between thin and obese women but this does not rule out the possibility that other more intricate metabolic changes might occur.

Topics: Adult; Estradiol; Female; Humans; Injections, Intramuscular; Medroxyprogesterone; Norethindrone; Obesity; Progesterone; Time Factors