Hormonal profiles of eumenorrheic women compared to hormonal intrauterine device users.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Non-randomized comparative study with concurrent control group
PubMed 41902351 · doi:10.14814/phy2.70842
What was done
Serum estradiol and progesterone concentrations were measured and compared between 16 hormonal intrauterine device (hIUD) users and 15 naturally cycling eumenorrheic (EUM) women. Venous blood was sampled at two visits separated by ~14 days for hIUD users, and during the early follicular phase (EFP) and mid-luteal phase (MLP) for EUM women. Ovulatory cycles in EUM women were verified using urinary luteinizing hormone kits and calendar tracking. Hormone levels were quantified using enzyme-linked immunoassays.
What was found
In hIUD users, endogenous estrogen and progesterone concentrations did not differ significantly between the two testing sessions (p = 0.720). In contrast, EUM women demonstrated significantly higher estrogen and progesterone concentrations in the MLP compared to the EFP (p = 0.004). Specific absolute hormone concentrations and variance values were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This study demonstrates that hIUD users do not experience typical cyclical systemic ovarian hormone fluctuations, indicating that hIUD users represent a distinct endocrine cohort that cannot be treated as physiologically equivalent to naturally cycling women.
Limits
The sample size was small (n = 31 total). Testing in hIUD users was limited to two arbitrary timepoints ~14 days apart rather than continuous monitoring. Absolute hormone concentrations, specific device types/dosages, and duration of device use were not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Following ovulation, estrogen levels experience a brief decrease before rising again and remaining elevated throughout the luteal phase.