Effects of desogestrel and levonorgestrel in low-dose oestrogen oral contraceptives on serum lipoproteins.

Abstract Serum HDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol levels were analyzed in 54 women before and after 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment with oral contraceptives containing 0.030 mg ethinyloestradiol (EE) plus 0.150 mg desogestrel or levonorgestrel. The combination of 0.150 mg desogestrel + 0.030 mg EE induced a small increase in HDL-cholesterol and in the ratio HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol, whereas 0.150 mg levonorgestrel + 0.030 mg EE induced a small decrease; the differences between the effects of the two combination on these parameters were statistically significant after 6 and 12 months of treatment and can be best explained by the higher androgenicity of levonorgestrel.