A competitive protein binding assay for norethindrone was developed to measure plasma levels in human subjects. The plasma levels were considerably higher in women than in men, especially at low dose levels. The plasma levels were directly related to the dose in men; but greater variations in the plasma levels were observed in women. The plasma half-life was about 5 h in both sexes with single oral doses of 5 to 20 mg. A comparative bioavailability study with norethindrone from 2 different manufacturers, formulated in the same manner, showed no significant differences in absorption characteristics and provided sufficient data for pharmacokinetic analysis.