EFFECT OF HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES ON INFLAMMATORY BLOOD BIOMARKER C-REACTIVE PROTEIN

To compare the effect of combined oral contraceptive (COC) and progesterone-only injectable contraceptive (PIC) on the inflammation, we recruited 47 female participants (16 to 43 years old) in 3 groups: control participants (n=10), COC users (n=16) and PIC users (n=21). Using ELISA and Latex agglutination methods, we measured the effect of hormonal contraceptives on the inflammatory blood biomarker, C-reactive protein (CRP). Data were collected from July 2019 to January 2020 from Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital. The users of both COC and PIC had higher levels of CRP (p<0.001), as compared to the controls, and COC users had higher levels as compared to PIC users (p<0.001). We also found a correlation between the CRP data of contraceptive users and some socio-demographic variables. The CRP values of different demographic variables in the Elisa method but not in the Latex method were significantly correlated (p<0.01). There was a significant association between the types of contraceptives used, as measured both Latex and Elisa methods. Our data suggested that limiting hormonal contraceptives can decrease the high-sensitivity CRP in women. Longitudinal studies with a larger sample size are needed to better assess the inflammatory and agglutination response due to contraceptive use. CRP values in the Latex method were statistically insignificant (p>0.05), but the variations of CRP values in the Elisa method were statistically significant (p<0.001). Only the Elisa test is recommended for the measurement of CRP.