Effect of oral contraceptives on human endometrium in culture

Addition of oral contraceptives to the medium of human endometrial explants in organ culture caused histologically, histochemically, and biochemically detectable changes in the tissue. These alterations were similar to the response obtained in vivo and indicate that the synthetic hormones have a direct effect on the endometrium in addition to any other mode of action. The effects of the contraceptives in organ culture included proliferative and secretory changes similar to those cause by the natural ovarian hormones, increased deposition of glycogen in the glandular epithelium and in the stromal cells, and histologic changes in the stroma around the glands and the blood vessels.