Association of Oral and Injectable Hormonal Contraceptive Use with Serum Lipid Profile among Women in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria
Background: Hormonal contraceptives are widely used for pregnancy prevention, but exogenous sex steroids may influence lipid metabolism depending on contraceptive type and duration of use. This study compared serum lipid profile parameters among women using oral or injectable hormonal contraceptives for different durations in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria.
Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 apparently healthy women aged 18–45 years attending the Family Planning and General Outpatient Clinics of Prince Abubakar Audu University Teaching Hospital, Anyigba. Participants were grouped into seven groups of three, oral contraceptive users for 6–11 months, 1–3 years, or ≥5 years; injectable contraceptive users for the same durations; and non-users as controls. Five millilitres of fasting venous blood were collected from each participant. Serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were determined using standard laboratory methods. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0. Group differences were assessed using one-way analysis of variance with post-hoc comparisons. Statistical significance was set at p < .05.
Results: TC did not differ significantly among the groups (p = .109). Significant differences were observed for TG (p = .001), HDL-C (p = .007), and LDL-C (p = .001). The highest TG concentration occurred among injectable contraceptive users with 1–3 years of use (2.51 ± 0.64 mmol/L) compared with controls (1.77 ± 0.53 mmol/L). HDL-C ranged from 1.49 ± 0.53 mmol/L in controls to 1.97 ± 0.60 mmol/L among oral contraceptive users with ≥5 years of use. The lowest LDL-C concentration was observed among oral contraceptive users with 6–11 months of use (1.43 ± 0.82 mmol/L) compared with controls (2.28 ± 0.62 mmol/L).
Conclusion: Hormonal contraceptive use was associated with differences in selected lipid parameters. Injectable use, particularly for 1–3 years, was associated with higher TG, whereas oral contraceptive use was associated with higher HDL-C and lower LDL-C. Longitudinal studies are needed to establish temporal and causal relationships.
Keywords: hormonal contraception; oral contraceptives; injectable contraceptives; lipid profile; triglycerides; HDL-C; LDL-C; Nigeria.
