Hindawi Publishing Corporation Obstetrics and Gynecology International Volume 2010, Article ID 925635, 4 pages doi:10.1155/2010/925635 Research Article Effects of Oral, Vaginal, and Transdermal Hormonal Contraception on Serum Levels of Coenzyme Q10, Vitamin E, and Total Antioxidant Activity Prabhudas R. Palan, Felix Strube, Juraj Letko, Azra Sadikovic, and Magdy S. Mikhail Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1650 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10457, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Magdy S. Mikhail, mikhailgyn@aol.com Received 22 January 2010; Accepted 17 June 2010 Academic Editor: Curt W. Burger Copyright © 2010 Prabhudas R. Palan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The use of the transdermal contraceptive patch is associated with greater bioavailability of ethinyl estradiol (EE) compared with contraceptive vaginal ring or oral contraceptives (OC). We compared the inﬂuences of three contraceptive methods (OC, vaginal ring, and transdermal patch) on serum levels of coenzyme Q10, α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol and total antioxidant capacity in premenopausal women. Blood samples from 30 premenopausal women who used hormonal contraception for at least 4 months were collected. Forty subjects who did not use any contraception were studied as control. Serum levels of coenzyme Q10, α- tocopherol and γ-tocopherol were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Serum samples were also assayed for total antioxidant capacity (TAOC). Serum levels of coenzyme Q10 and α-tocopherol were found to be signiﬁcantly lower (P < .05) in all three contraceptive users compared with controls. Contraceptive patch users had the lowest levels of coenzyme Q10 levels compared with normal subjects. Serum TAOC levels were signiﬁcantly lower (P < .05) among the contraceptive user groups. Alterations in coenzyme Q10 and α-tocopherol induced by hormonal contraception and the potential eﬀect(s) of exogenous ovarian hormones should be taken into consideration in future antioxidant research. 1. Introduction Free radicals and related species have attracted a great deal of attention in scientiﬁc research. It has been reported that an imbalance between the production of oxygen free radicals and serum levels of antioxidants can lead to cell oxidative stress and damage and consequent apoptosis as a result of the excessive oxidation of lipids, nucleic acids, and/or proteins [1, 2]. Oxidative stress has been suggested to be involved in the etiology of many chronic disease processes including cardiovascular disease, cancer, cataract, and aging [1, 3, 4]. Ovarian hormones, primarily estrogens, possess antioxi- dant properties and have been postulated to protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD) [5, 6]. The lipid-soluble antioxidant, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), and α-tocopherol act as free radical scavengers and may decrease the risk of CVD caused by oxidative stress [4, 5]. Relatively little research has been focused on the eﬀect of hormonal contraceptives on lipid-soluble antioxidants. Moreover, dif- ferences in contraceptive content and delivery methods of ethinyl estradiol (EE) may aﬀect women diﬀerently. The use of the transdermal contraceptive patch is associated with greater bioavailability of estrogen than the use of the contraceptive vaginal ring or the oral contraceptive pill [6, 7]. We compared the inﬂuences of three diﬀerent hormonal contraceptive methods (OC, the vaginal ring, and the transdermal patch) on serum levels of CoQ10, α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, and TAOC in premenopausal women. Such a three-way comparison of hormonal contraception could provide an insight into the eﬀect of diﬀerent contraceptive formulations on lipid-soluble antioxidant levels. 2. Material and Methods 2.1. Subject Population. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board. All subjects came from