Effects of oral contraceptive pill use on blood pressure reactivity in young premenopausal Women

• Nia Rolle, Chemistry, Delaware State University

• Megan Wenner, Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware

Effects of oral contraceptive pill use on blood pressure reactivity in young premenopausal women 

Oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use is prevalent in 24-44% of premenopausal women between the ages of 15-34 years. OCP usage has been linked to hypertension, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The degree to which blood pressure (BP) increases in response to a perturbation is called BP reactivity and is predictive of future hypertension. However, data on the effects of OCP use on BP and BP reactivity remain equivocal. Purpose: To test the hypothesis that OCP users will have greater resting BP as well as BP reactivity compared to naturally cycling (NAT) women. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data in sixty-seven healthy, young premenopausal women (OCP: n=37, 23±3yrs, BMI:23±3kg/m2; NAT: n=30, 24±6yrs, BMI:23±3kg/m2). Resting supine BP was measured in triplicate using an automated cuff. BP reactivity was assessed in a subset of women (OCP: n=7; NAT: n=7) using the cold pressor test (CPT). Beat-by-beat BP and heart rate were measured using a finometer (Finapres Medical Systems, Amsterdam, The Netherlands). Changes in BP were measured every thirty seconds during the two-minute CPT. Results: Resting systolic (OCP: 110±8mmHg vs. NAT: 107±10mmHg, P=>0.1), diastolic (OCP: 69±9mmHg vs. NAT: 64±6mmHg, P>0.1) and mean arterial BP (OCP: 83±7mmHg vs. NAT: 77±7mmHg, P>0.1) were not different between groups. As expected, systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial BP increased during the CPT (P<0.01). OCP users had significantly greater systolic (P=0.04) and diastolic (P<0.01) BP reactivity across the CPT than NAT women. The change in heart rate during the CPT was not different between OCP and NAT women (P>0.1). Conclusion: These preliminary data indicate that BP reactivity is greater in women using OCPs compared to NAT women. This greater BP reactivity may explain, in part, the future risk for hypertension in OCP users. Additional research investigating potential mechanisms linking OCP usage to higher BP is needed.