The effects of two gonane progestins alone and in combination with ethinyl estradiol on serum lipoproteins.

Twenty women, oophorectomized as part of the treatment for cervical carcinoma in an early stage but otherwise healthy, participated in the study. Ten of them were given desogestrel (DG) 150 micrograms/day for 3 wk followed by DG + 30 micrograms ethinyl estradiol (EE) for 6 wk, and finally EE alone for 3 wk. The other ten women were given 150 micrograms levonorgestrel (NORG) and EE in a similar way. Before treatment and after each period, total and free cholesterol (TC, FC) triglycerides (TG) and phospholipids (PL) were assayed in serum and in the ultracentrifugally isolated lipoprotein fractions very low, low and high density lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL and HDL). The results indicate that both progestins induced the same 'androgenic' pattern when given alone, i.e. a decrease in serum- and HDL-TC and a decrease in VLDL-lipids. In combination with EE, however, DG seems to counteract the effects of EE to a lesser extent than NORG, as judged particularly from the effects on TG and PL in serum and VLDL.