Introduction
SECONDARY
Adolescence represents a period of extreme importance in the life of a human. Puberty is a landmark of this phase. In females, puberty is characterized by the acceleration of longitudinal growth, development of secondary sexual characteristics, and the occurrence of menarche. Simultaneously, there is expressive bone mass acquisition [Bone mass accrual begins in the embryonic phase and continues throughout the skeleton during childhood, at differing rates. During puberty a significant increase is observed between Tanner pubertal stages 3 and 4 [Adolescence is characterized by the awakening of sexuality, which often implies the onset of sexual activity. In addition, the prescription of contraceptives occurs at increasingly younger ages and they are not only used as a contraceptive method [Literature data regarding the use and effect of hormonal contraceptives on bone mass acquisition during the critical years are contradictory. Hormonal contraceptives seem to negatively interfere with bone mass acquisition when used in adolescence [Therefore, to determine the effect of combined oral contraceptives (COC) on bone mass in adolescents, the present study was designed to evaluate bone mineral density and the concentrations of bone formation markers in healthy adolescent girls who had used two low-dose COC over a period of two years, and to compare the findings with those observed in healthy adolescent girls who had not used contraceptive methods.