Article: St. John's wort and oral contraceptive pills.(Research News)

Two new studies have shed some additional light on a rare few case reports and theoretical suspicions that St. John's wort may interfere with oral contraceptive pills (OCP). St. John's wort induces cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A enzymes and therefore may reduce their contraceptive efficacy.

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St. John's wort was tested for its effect on Ortho-Novum 1/35, an OCP containing ethinyl estradiol and norethindrone. Twelve healthy reproductive aged women had been using the Ortho-Novum pill for three consecutive menstrual cycles. During the second and third cycles, they received 300 mg of St. John's wort tid. Serum concentrations of ethinyl ...

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