Abstract
Abstract
Objective: to investigate the effects of hormonal contraceptives on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in women.
Methods: The study was conducted on 94 women who used hormonal contraceptives as a means of contraception. They were divided into 2 groups. The first group consisted of 43 women using injection contraceptive (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate) whereas the second group consisted of 51 women who used combined oral contraceptive pills (levonorgestrel 0.15 mg and ethinylestradiol 0.03 mg). Another group involved 70 apparently healthy women who did not use hormonal contraceptives as a control group. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to criteria made by the US National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. Waist circumference (WC) in cm was determined as the point midway between the costal margin and iliac crest in the mid-axillary's line. Serum glucose concentration, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol and HDL Cholesterol were measured using special kits. LDL-cholesterol was
determined by Friedwald equation.
Results: Metabolic syndrome has been reported in the contraceptive users but not in contraceptive non-users (controls). All measured parameters are higher in the contraceptive users in comparison with non
-contraceptive users except for HDL-cholesterol which showed lower values in the contraceptive users and glucose concentrations in the oral contraceptive users which showed no significant difference from that of the non- contraceptive users.
Conclusions: The hormonal contraceptives involved in the present study can induce metabolic syndrome in women using them through effects on BP, WC, body weight, lipid profile and serum glucose concentrations.

Key words: Metabolic syndrome, hormonal contraceptives, oral combined contraceptive, depot medroxyprogesterone