RESUMO
PIP: The effect of high-dose, long-term oral contraceptive use on thyroid function and thyroid disease was investigated. Between 1956 and 1962 there were 836 patients treated with Enovid. Initially doses of 10 mg were given, then 5 mg, and finally 2.5 mg. 53 patients used oral contraceptives continuously through a total of 8111 cycles with an average of 156 cycles and an average dose of 3.75 mg/day/cycle. These 53 women were studied for protein bound iodine (PBI), resin triiodothyronine (T3) uptake, total thyroxine (TT), free thyroxine level (FT), radioiodine uptake, and a thyroid scan. Fractional uptakes were done on some. The PBI, T3, TT, and FT tests were done at the Bio-Science Laboratories in California, the others at a local laboratory. Uptake values were abnormally low in 40% of patients. This finding had not been previously reported. Thyroid scannings for 48 patients showed 44 were normal. In 3 patients the thyroid appeared uniformly enlarged but this was not apparent on physical examination. A small cold area was noted in 1 thyroid. No nodule or other variation was found on physical examination. A combination of the PBI test and T3 would be most helpful in evaluating hypo or hyperthyroidism. In the presence of a nontoxic goiter the PBI would be normal or high and the T3 normal or low. Though individual tests showed alterations no definite e vidence of thyroid disease was found in the patients studied.^ieng
