The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of dehydroepiandrosterone during use of an ethinylestradiol- and drospirenone-containing oral contraceptive.

Background: Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) reduce the levels of ovarian and adrenal androgens. Co-administration of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) may normalise androgen levels during COC use.

Objective: To investigate the effect of the addition of DHEA to a COC on the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of DHEA and its sulphate (DHEA-S), and on levels of total and free testosterone (T).

The bioequivalence of the contraceptive steroids ethinylestradiol and drospirenone is not affected by co-administration of dehydroepiandrosterone.

Objectives: To study the effect of co-administration of 50 mg dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on the bioequivalence of ethinylestradiol (EE) and drospirenone (DRSP) in women who were using a combined oral contraceptive (COC) containing 30 μg EE and 3 mg DRSP, and to estimate whether the addition of DHEA to this COC affects the serum levels and the bioequivalence of the synthetic contraceptive steroids.

Methods: This was a randomised, double-blind, two-period crossover study. Participants received two EE/DRSP COC treatment cycles in random order, one with and one without daily 50 mg DHEA , separated by a 28-day wash-out cycle during which the subjects used an EE/levonorgestrel (LNG) COC without DHEA.

Vasorelaxing effects of estetrol in rat arteries.

This study compared ex vivo relaxing responses to the naturally occurring human hormone estetrol (E(4)) vs 17β-estradiol (E(2)) in eight different vascular beds. Arteries were mounted in a myograph, contracted with either phenylephrine or serotonin, and cumulative concentration-response curves (CRCs) to E(4) and E(2) (0·1-100  μmol/l) were constructed. In all arteries tested, E(4) had lower potency than E(2), although the differential effect was less in larger than smaller arteries.