Cross-Sectional Investigation of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Women Taking a Sequential or Combination Type Oral Contraceptive

Abstract

The results of cross-sectional studies of oral glucose tolerance tests of women taking either a sequential (C-Quens) or a combination type (Ovulen) of oral contraceptive continuously for 65 cycles (5.4 + years) are presented. Measurements were made of blood glucose plasma insulin and plasma growth hormone. The 64 women investigated in the study were volunteers attending the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Columbu s Ohio. The standard oral glucose tolerance tests were performed on 19 women who used a combination type oral contraceptive and on 45 women who used a sequential type oral contraceptive. The combination group had 36.8% abnormal results and the sequential group had 24.5% abnormal results. The insulin levels were higher and showed a delayed peak in the abnormal groups. The growth hormone levels were elevated in these subjects but suppressed as the blood glucose levels rose. The elevations of growth hormone levels in women taking the oral contraceptives have been implicated as a possible causal factor in the disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism. The fact that the group having the fewest abnormal results also had a significantly higher level of growth hormone in this study appears to diminish the importance of the growth hormone as an etiologic mechanism although it may still be one of the several contributing factors.