Abstract
This open-label, randomized study compared the pharmacokinetics of ethinylestradiol
(EE) from the contraceptive vaginal ring NuvaRing (15 ��g EE/day), the transdermal
patch (20 ��g EE/day) and a combined oral contraceptive (COC) containing 30 ��g EE.
After 2���8 weeks of synchronization by COC treatment, subjects were randomized to
21 days of treatment with NuvaRing, patch or COC. Analysis of area under the EE concentration-versus-time
curve (AUC) during 21 days of treatment showed that exposure to EE in the NuvaRing
group was 3.4 times lower than in the patch group (p<.05) and 2.1 times lower than
in the pill group (p<.05). Serum EE levels of subjects showed much lower variation
with NuvaRing than with the patch or the COC. Thus, exposure to EE was significantly
lower with NuvaRing than with the patch and pill methods, demonstrating that NuvaRing
is a low-estrogen-dose contraceptive method that also results in low estrogen exposure.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 17, 2005
Accepted:
March 15,
2005
Received:
February 5,
2005
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
