Conditions: Contraception
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 172
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to examine and compare the uptake of levomefolate calcium (Metafolin, a registered vitamin supplement) and folic acid in the body during 24 weeks of treatment with a following folate elimination phase of 20 weeks in healthy volunteers seeking contraception. Yasmin (oral contraceptive containing drospirenone and ethinylestradiol) was co-administered over the entire period of 44 weeks.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: Combination EE/DRSP/ Metafolin \[0.030 mg ethinylestradiol (EE) + 3 mg drospirenone (DRSP) + 0.451 mg Metafolin\] given orally in a cyclic regimen for 24 weeks (6 cycles) in combination with folic acid placebo tablets (encapsulated). Each treatment cycle consisting of once daily hormone and Metafolin treatment for 21-days followed by once daily hormone free, Metafolin only regimen for 7 days. This phase was followed by 20 weeks (5 cycles) folate elimination phase consisting of oral administration of Yasmin alone. arm 2: Yasmin \[0.030 mg ethinylestradiol (EE) + 3 mg drospirenone (DRSP)\] in combination with folic acid tablets 0.4 mg (encapsulated), given orally in a cyclic regimen for 24 weeks (6 cycles). Each treatment cycle providing once daily hormone and folic acid treatment for 21 days followed by once daily hormone free, folic acid only regimen for 7 days (encapsulated). This phase was followed by 20 weeks (5 cycles) folate elimination phase consisting of oral administration of Yasmin alone.

Interventions: intervention 1: EE 0.03 mg/DRSP 3 mg/Metafolin + folic acid placebo intervention 2: EE 0.03 mg/DRSP 3 mg (Yasmin) + folic acid
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Combination EE/DRSP/ Metafolin \[0.030 mg ethinylestradiol (EE) + 3 mg drospirenone (DRSP) + 0.451 mg Metafolin\] given orally in a cyclic regimen for 24 weeks (6 cycles) in combination with folic acid placebo tablets (encapsulated). Each treatment cycle consisting of once daily hormone and Metafolin treatment for 21-days followed by once daily hormone free, Metafolin only regimen for 7 days. This phase was followed by 20 weeks (5 cycles) folate elimination phase consisting of oral administration of Yasmin alone. intervention 2: Yasmin \[0.030 mg ethinylestradiol (EE) + 3 mg drospirenone (DRSP)\] in combination with folic acid tablets 0.4 mg (encapsulated), given orally in a cyclic regimen for 24 weeks (6 cycles). Each treatment cycle providing once daily hormone and folic acid treatment for 21 days followed by once daily hormone free, folic acid only regimen for 7 days (encapsulated). This phase was followed by 20 weeks (5 cycles) folate elimination phase consisting of oral administration of Yasmin alone.

Protocol document: