Oral contraceptives generally contain an estrogen (most commonly ethinyl estradiol) and a progestin. In their early formulations, oral contraceptives contained over 100 mg of estrogen. In these and higher doses, estrogens themselves can suppress sebum production. Estrogens also act on the liver to increase the synthesis of sex hormone-binding globulin that binds testosterone and lowers the circulating levels of free testosterone. In addition, oral contraceptives inhibit the ovarian production of androgens by suppressing ovulation. This, in turn, decreases serum androgen levels and reduces sebum production. The concentrations of estrogen in oral contraceptives have decreased over the years from 150 to 35 mg, and in the most recent forms, to 20 mg, in order to reduce the side effects associated with estrogen. (more…)

Oral contraceptives form a group of the prescribed preparations which are used wider than the rest and which are well investigated and tested.

As oral contraceptives are used mainly by healthy women – it becomes more and more important that these means should be not only very effective but extremely safe as well. Their effectiveness ( if use correctly) does not raise doubt: using combined oral contraceptive that includes two synthetic hormones – estrogen and progestagen, pregnancy ensues in less than 1% of women yearly. Similar results are achieved when using new “multiphase” combined oral contraceptives, which contain hormones in different quantities that imitate a natural scheme of hormones, produced in organism. (more…)