title: Oral contraceptive use, iron stores and vascular endothelial function in healthy women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased iron stores are associated with greater cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women. Oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use decreases the volume of menstrual blood loss and increases iron stores, but the link between OCP use, iron stores and cardiovascular risk in premenopausal women has not been characterized.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional study of 23 healthy OCP users to determine the association between type and duration of OCP exposure, iron stores, and vascular endothelial function [flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in the brachial artery].
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median duration of OCP use was 45 months. FMD in the brachial artery was significantly associated with progestin type used (estranes/gonanes vs. drospirenone) and duration of OCP use (both p<.05) but not iron stores. In multivariate analysis, progestin type was the only independent predictor of FMD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of OCP containing drospirenone was independently associated with greater FMD in the brachial artery and, thus, a potentially more favorable cardiovascular risk profile, when compared with use of OCP containing estranes/gonanes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cremer
authors.forename: Qurat Ul-Ain
authors.initials: QU
authors.lastname: Jelani
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jinlong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jian
authors.forename: Sooraj
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Stuart D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Katz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000736:Androstenes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects*; D004962:Estranes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006067:Gonanes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D016014:Linear Models; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000736:Androstenes; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D004962:Estranes; D006067:Gonanes; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron; C035144:drospirenone