The Role of Oral Contraceptives in the Treatment of Hyperandrogenic Disorders

The document from 1995 discusses the use of oral contraceptives as a treatment for hyperandrogenic disorders, which can cause issues like hirsutism and acne. Oral contraceptives can address multiple concerns by suppressing gonadotropins, reducing circulating androgens, increasing androgen binding, suppressing adrenal androgen secretion, and inhibiting 5α-reductase and androgen receptor binding. While the response to oral contraceptives can vary in women with anovulatory hyperandrogenic states such as polycystic ovary syndrome, estrogen-dominant oral contraceptives tend to produce desired effects. Clinically, 60–100% of women with hirsutism see improvement with oral contraceptives, and a high percentage of women also see improvements in acne. Additionally, oral contraceptives reduce the risk of endometrial hyperplasia and current low-dose preparations with newer progestins like norgestimate and desogestrel have a neutral or potentially beneficial metabolic impact.