title: Contraceptive Use Affects Overall Olfactory Performance: Investigation of Estradiol Dosage and Duration of Intake.
abstract: The influence of female sex steroids on cognitive performance and sensory perception has been investigated for decades. However, previous research that studied olfaction revealed inconsistent results. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different ethinyl estradiol (EE) concentrations of oral contraceptives and duration of intake on olfactory function. Forty-two healthy women, with regular intake of either high or low EE dosage over at least one year and up to 15 years participated in this study. Results revealed a significant concordance between a priori categorization in the two groups with high and low EE dosage and data-driven hierarchical clustering (p = 0.008). Furthermore, significantly higher olfactory performance was observed in women using low-dose products compared to women using high-dosed products (p = 0.019). These findings indicate different effects of pill use with regard to EE concentration. We therefore strongly recommend the acquisition of information about EE dosage of oral contraceptives to reduce potential confounding factors when investigating sensory systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5983-5307
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kollndorfer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ohrenberger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.|BioTechMed, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1937-4216
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schöpf
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D055696:Olfactory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol