Abstract

Oral contraceptives are one of the most widely used methods of pregnancy prevention. However, different symptomatologies have been attributed to their use. Studies have shown that prolonged use of oral contraceptives is related to an imbalance in the intestinal microbiota, negatively impacting the user's homeostasis. Specifically, the accumulation of these drugs in the intestine affects bacterial growth, leading to the possible development of multiple immunological, intestinal, metabolic, and other alterations. Nevertheless, the relationship between different pathologies and dysbiosis in the intestinal microbiota has not been completely characterized, making it difficult to correlate specific side effects of oral contraceptives on the microbiota. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro impact of eight concentrations of three oral contraceptives Yasminiq ®, Bellaface suave ®, and Microgynon ®, on the growth of the gut-beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Our results indicated no statisticastically significant differences between the concentrations of the three contraceptives used on L. reuteri and L. plantarum. These strains showed no significant growth inhibition when exposed to the different concentrations of the contraceptives. Conversely, L. rhamnosus showed susceptibility to all of the contraceptives. Particularly, the lowest concentrations of Bellaface ® showed the highest percentages of inhibition on L. rhamnosus.