Development of Modern Contraception. Part II - Steroid Hormones

Overview

The development and use of female sex hormones for effective contraception was made possibleby physiological discoveries of the laws governing the menstrual cycle during the first half ofthe 20th century, along with extensive biochemical research into the composition, role andfunction of ovarian steroids. These steroids had to be chemically modified to make them effectivealso when administered by the oral route, and the original laborious and very costly isolationswere replaced by new productionmethods which made these processes also much cheaper.Basicdiscoveries included also isolation of 19-nortestosterone progestins. By combination of progestinswith 1% mestranol the first therapeutic and contraceptive preparation - Enovid wasobtained which was tested clinically on a large scale. In the subsequent stage the amounts ofboth sex steroids were reduced and various combinations were formed which reduced oreliminated the adverse side-effects. Modern contraceptive pills do not differ much as to theirclinical effectiveness, they have even some therapeutic and preventive effects and are suitablefor a major part of the female population from teenagers to women of more advanced age.

Key words:
modern contraception - steroid hormones - clinical effectiveness.