Comparative bioavailability of orally and vaginally administered progesterone

Abstract

Objective: To study the pharmacokinetics of progesterone (P) in healthy premenopausal female volunteers to compare the bioavailability of orally or vaginally administered hormone. Design: Subjects were randomly allocated to receive either oral P or a vaginal pessary then crossed over to the alternate preparation 1 month later. Setting: The study was conducted in outpatient setting. Subjects: All subjects were healthy, normal female volunteers who underwent a physical and gynecological examination before the study. None were using oral contraceptives. Ten subjects (mean age 32.6 ± 7.3 years) entered the study and all completed it. Interventions: Progesterone was administered as 200 mg of micr..