A combined oral contraceptive containing 30 mcg ethinyl estradiol and 3.0 mg drospirenone does not impair endothelium-dependent vasodilation

Background: Ethinyl estradiol (EE) increases endothelium-dependent vasodilation in young women, but certain progestins paired with EE in combination oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) have been shown to antagonize the vasodilatory effects of EE. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how endothelial function, serum biomarkers and resting blood pressures change across an OCP cycle in women using a monophasic OCP formulation containing the progestin drospirenone. Study Design: Twelve women were studied during two hormone phases of their OCP cycle: once at the end of 3 weeks of active pills (30 mcg EE and 3.0 mg drospirenone) and once at the end of a week of placebo pills (no exogenous hormones) Results: Endothelium-dependent vasodilation was greater during the active phase compared to the placebo phase (p<.001). In contrast, there was no difference in endothelium-independent dilation between hormone phases. Conclusion: These data suggest that the combination of 30 mcg EE and 3.0 mg drospirenone used in the active phase of this OCP increases endothelium-dependent vasodilation compared to a placebo phase. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.