Open AccessThe Influence Of a Combined Oral Contraceptive On Uterine Activity And Reactivity To Agonists In Primary Dysmenorrhea
Author(s) -
Hauksson A.,
Ekström P.,
Juchnicka E.,
Laudański T.,
Åkerlund M.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
acta obstetricia et gynecologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.401
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1600-0412
pISSN - 0001-6349
DOI - 10.3109/00016348909087685
Subject(s) - medicine , levonorgestrel , uterus , menstruation , estrogen , endocrinology , population , gynecology , family planning , research methodology , environmental health
The mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of an oral contraceptive (150 μ g levonorgestrel and 30 μg ethinyl estradiol daily for 21 days) in primary dysmenorrhea were studied by recordings of uterine activity and reactivity to lysine (L) vasopressin (VP) and prostaglandin (PG) F 2α , on the first day of menstruation in 14 women before and after one period of oral contraceptive treatment. During the first session, when all women had moderate to severe dysmenorrhea, intra‐uterine pressure recording showed an intensive uterine activity, and bolus injections of LVP (6 pmol/kg body weight; 6 subjects) or PGF 2α , (6 or 12 nmol/kg body weight; 4 subjects in each group) increased contractile activity and discomfort. After oral contraceptive treatment, spontaneous uterine activity, measured as total pressure area, decreased significantly (p = 0.02 and p = 0.03 in the VP and PG groups, respectively). The mean uterine responses to LVP and PGF 2α , were on average smaller after oral contraceptive treatment and the women experienced minimal discomfort after this injection. It is suggested that inhibition of uterine activity could be an important mechanism for the therapeutic effect of gestagen‐dominated oral contraceptives in primary dysmenorrhea and that reduced uterine reactivity to agonists might contribute to this effect.