Key result
Oral contraceptive pill use was associated with significant increases in aortic and peripheral systolic blood pressures during active use, but not with increased arterial stiffness.
Why the study?
Does oral contraceptive pill use increase arterial stiffness and alter hemodynamics in healthy young women?
Observational (n=60)
Randomized order of assessments
Does oral contraceptive pill use increase arterial stiffness and alter hemodynamics in healthy young women?
In healthy young women, oral contraceptive use increases central and peripheral blood pressure during the active pill phase without altering arterial stiffness.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May support BP monitoring during active OCP phases; leaves open stiffness effects and long-term CV implications.
BACKGROUND: Over 100 million women currently use oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) worldwide. However, little is known about the effects of OCPs on arterial stiffness and hemodynamics. Furthermore, whether arterial stiffness and hemodynamics vary throughout the natural menstrual cycle remains controversial. Herein, we estimated the effect of the natural menstrual cycle and OCP use on arterial stiffness and hemodynamics. METHODS: Healthy, nonsmoking women, aged 18-30 years, were recruited if they had regular menstrual cycles and never used OCPs (OCP nonuser group), or were using low-dose OCPs for at least 6 months (OCP user group). Using applanation tonometry, three assessments of arterial stiffness and central and peripheral hemodynamics were performed in a randomized order: during the early follicular (days 3-6), late follicular (days 14-16), and luteal (days 22-26) phases. Within group and between group comparisons were performed using general linear models. RESULTS: Sixty women (21.7 ± 2.8 years) were recruited. Compared with OCP nonusers, OCP users had significantly increased aortic and peripheral SBPs during the active OCP use, but not during the inert tablet phase. No differences in arterial stiffness were noted. CONCLUSION: OCP use was associated with significant increases in aortic and peripheral blood pressures, but not with increased arterial stiffness. Given the widespread OCP use, future longitudinal studies are needed to confirm our findings and assess the long-term effect of OCPs on arterial stiffness and hemodynamics.
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Yu et al. (2013) conducted an observational in Healthy (n=60). Oral contraceptive pills vs. OCP nonusers was evaluated on Arterial stiffness and central and peripheral hemodynamics (aortic and peripheral systolic blood pressures). Oral contraceptive pill use was associated with significant increases in aortic and peripheral systolic blood pressures during active use, but not with increased arterial stiffness.
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