Clinical control of fertility.

A comparative clinical study of 3 oral contraceptive preparations Enovid Orthonovum and Ovulen is reported. Enovid contained 2.5 mg progestin Orthonovum 2 mg and Ovulen 1 mg plus .1 mg 17alpha-ethenylestradiol-3-methyl ether. Each group studied contained approximately 200 patients. The most striking result was the similarity in a number of physiological phenomena and reported reactions of the women using the drugs. Comparisons were made on menstrual phenomena such as amount of flow duration of flow and various symptoms associated with use. The fertility of women using the pill appears to be enhanced. Lactation seems to be reduced when high doses of Enovid are given but unchanged at doses of contraceptive efficiency. There are a variety of physiological functions which seem to be effected by contraceptive use. However such functions as blood pressure bleeding and clotting times incidence of pulmonary embolism and varicosities ex amined in the course of the study seem uneffected by contraceptive hormones. A summary of data on Papanicolaou smears shows a marked reduction in abnormal cells among women taking the Pill. The hormonal preparations act in the same manner as endogenous progestin and estrogen differing only in the time relations and uniformity of their actions. The long-term effects of these agents remains to be determined .