Effect of oral contraceptives on the urinary excretion of biochemical markers indicating vasoactive action

Objective: In the present study the effect of two contraceptive pills, i.e. Neorlest, containing ethinylestradiol and norethisterone acetate, and Vale tte, containing ethinylestradiol and the new progestin dienogest, was inves tigated on the urinary excretion of vasoactive markers. As markers prostacy clin and its antagonist thromboxane, cGMP, serotonin, and the vasorelaxing mediators relaxin and urodilatin were measured. Method: 30 women received Neorlest and 33 women Valette in a randomized, op en, parallel-group study design. Nocturnal urine was collected before treat ment and during cyclic treatment after 6 and 11 weeks. Results: For prostacyclin, the ratio of prostacyclin to thromboxane, relaxi n and urodilatin significant increases compared to the pretreatment values were observed with Valette within 11 weeks treatment. For the markers cGMP and serotonin both contraceptive pills showed a tendency to an increase of the renal excretion after 11 weeks treatment. No significant differences be tween the two pills were observed, except in the case of the ratio of prost acyclin to thromboxane, which showed a significant, clear-cut enhancement w ith Valette. Conclusion: These results indicate that contraceptive pills may stimulate t he production of vasodilative markers, an effect which can be attributed mo st likely to the oestrogenic component of the pill. The progestogenic compo nent of the pill may elicit an impact on this oestrogen-induced vasodilatio n, which, however, seems to be minimized in the case of the new compound di enogest, a C-19 progestin with antiandrogenic properties.