title: Oral Contraceptive Use, Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity, and Systemic Hemodynamics in Young Women.
abstract: Endogenous female sex hormones influence muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), a regulator of arterial blood pressure and important factor in hypertension development. Although ≈80% of American women report using hormonal contraceptives sometime during their life, the influence of combined oral contraceptives (OCs) on MSNA and systemic hemodynamics remains equivocal. The goal of this study was to determine whether women taking OCs have altered MSNA and hemodynamics (cardiac output and total peripheral resistance) at rest during the placebo phase of OC use compared with women with natural menstrual cycles during the early follicular phase. We retrospectively analyzed data from studies in which healthy, premenopausal women (aged 18-35 years) participated. We collected MSNA values at rest and hemodynamic measurements in women taking OCs (n=53; 25±4 years) and women with natural menstrual cycles (n=74; 25±4 years). Blood pressure was higher in women taking OCs versus those with natural menstrual cycles (mean arterial pressure, 89±1 versus 85±1 mm Hg, respectively; P=0.01), although MSNA was similar in both groups (MSNA burst incidence, 16±1 versus 18±1 bursts/100 heartbeats, respectively; P=0.19). In a subset of women in which detailed hemodynamic data were available, those taking OCs (n=33) had similar cardiac output (4.9±0.2 versus 4.7±0.2 L/min, respectively; P=0.47) and total peripheral resistance (19.2±0.8 versus 20.0±0.9 U, respectively; P=0.51) as women with natural menstrual cycles (n=22). In conclusion, women taking OCs have higher resting blood pressure and similar MSNA and hemodynamics during the placebo phase of OC use when compared with naturally menstruating women in the early follicular phase.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (R.E.H., T.B.C., M.J.J., J.N.B.); School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom (E.C.H.); Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA (N.C.); Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton (J.R.C.); Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Q.F.); and Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, Eugene (C.T.M.). harvey.ronee@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Ronee E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (R.E.H., T.B.C., M.J.J., J.N.B.); School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom (E.C.H.); Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA (N.C.); Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton (J.R.C.); Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Q.F.); and Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, Eugene (C.T.M.).
authors.forename: Emma C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (R.E.H., T.B.C., M.J.J., J.N.B.); School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom (E.C.H.); Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA (N.C.); Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton (J.R.C.); Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Q.F.); and Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, Eugene (C.T.M.).
authors.forename: Nisha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Charkoudian
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (R.E.H., T.B.C., M.J.J., J.N.B.); School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom (E.C.H.); Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA (N.C.); Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton (J.R.C.); Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Q.F.); and Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, Eugene (C.T.M.).
authors.forename: Timothy B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Curry
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (R.E.H., T.B.C., M.J.J., J.N.B.); School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom (E.C.H.); Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA (N.C.); Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton (J.R.C.); Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Q.F.); and Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, Eugene (C.T.M.).
authors.forename: Jason R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (R.E.H., T.B.C., M.J.J., J.N.B.); School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom (E.C.H.); Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA (N.C.); Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton (J.R.C.); Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Q.F.); and Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, Eugene (C.T.M.).
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (R.E.H., T.B.C., M.J.J., J.N.B.); School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom (E.C.H.); Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA (N.C.); Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton (J.R.C.); Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Q.F.); and Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, Eugene (C.T.M.).
authors.forename: Christopher T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Minson
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (R.E.H., T.B.C., M.J.J., J.N.B.); School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom (E.C.H.); Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA (N.C.); Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton (J.R.C.); Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Q.F.); and Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, Eugene (C.T.M.).
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Joyner
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (R.E.H., T.B.C., M.J.J., J.N.B.); School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom (E.C.H.); Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA (N.C.); Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton (J.R.C.); Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Q.F.); and Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon, Eugene (C.T.M.).
authors.forename: Jill N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Barnes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003278:Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003278:Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal
keywords: blood pressure; follicular phase; hemodynamics; hypertension; oral contraceptives