Pharmacology of contraceptive agents--new compounds with new problems?
Sample, R.G.
American Journal of Pharmacy and the Sciences Supporting Public Health 145(4): 142-145
1973
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9467 PMID: 4795431 Document Number: 5612
The article is primarily a general discussion of the pill's medical aspects, prefaced by a discussion of the normal human menstrual cycle. Aspects of oral contaceptives reviewed include mechanisms, effectiveness, product formulation, instructions for use, adverse reactions, contraindications, and current developments. Oral contraceptive mechanisms include 1) blockage of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) release, 2) alteration of motility in the fallopian tubes 3) modification of endometrial maturation, and 4) rendering the cervical mucus hostile to sperm migration. Mild side effects of various oral contraceptives include nausea, mastalgia, edema, psychological changes, headaches, and failure of withdrawal bleeding. Moderate side effects include breakthrough bleeding, androgenic side effects, patches of increased skin pigmentation, and prolonged amenorrhea and infertility. Severe side effects include impaired liver function and jaundice, hypertension, and thromboembolic disorders. Topics of current research in steroidal contraception include depot therapy, continuous low-dose progestogen therapy, and postcoital estrogen therapy.
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