Oral contraceptive use, iron stores and vascular endothelial function in healthy women. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

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. STUDY DESIGN: 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.

publication date

  • February 24, 2011

Research

keywords

  • Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Contraceptives, Oral
  • Endothelium, Vascular
  • Iron

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC3285555

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 80051901444

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.contraception.2011.01.012

PubMed ID

  • 21843695

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 84

issue

  • 3