The influence of oral contraceptives on the composition of bile
Brockerhoff, P.; Höckel, M.; Holtermüller, K.H.; Köhl, M.; Weis, H.J.; Rathgen, G.H.
Klinische Wochenschrift 60(3): 153-157
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0023-2173 PMID: 7078021 DOI: 10.1007/bf01711279Document Number: 387455
The increased risk of cholelithiasis during intake of oral contraceptives may be due to estrogen-induced saturation of the bile with cholesterol. In a randomized, prospective, crossed-over, double-blind study, 20 healthy women, after roentgenological exclusion of gall stones, received either 1.0 mg of norethindrone acetate and 50 .mu.g ethinyl estradiol daily (as usual in oral contraception) for 21 days, with 7 days of placebo treatment in each cycle, or 1/5 of this hormone dose in form of a continuous daily medication. After a 4-mo. treatment the medication form was crossed over. At the beginning of the study, before the cross-over and after the study, bile was collected by duodenal intubation after a 12-h fast, and the lithogenic index as a measure for cholesterol saturation of the bile was determined. No correlation between the dose and the lithogenic index was demonstrated in 15 women who had used oral contraceptives before the study or in 5 without any previous hormonal contraception.
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