Oral contraceptive use and hemodynamic, lipid, and fibrinogen responses to smoking and stress in women

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23 Scopus citations

Abstract

The effects of acute smoking and oral contraceptive (OC) use on cardiovascular, lipid, and fibrinogen stress responses were examined in 52 female smokers and nonsmokers, half of whom were using OCs. Women smoked or sham-smoked a cigarette and then performed 2 stressful tasks. Stress elicited increases in total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and in triglycerides among women who smoked, and in fibrinogen among all women. Smokers who used OCs had greater blood pressure increases to smoking and to stress than did smokers who did not use OCs. OC use was also associated with enhanced total peripheral resistance stress responses among women who smoked and cardiac output stress responses among women who sham-smoked. Results suggest that OC use moderates cardiovascular reactivity in smokers but not nonsmokers, enhancing vascular responsivity to smoking combined with stress and myocardial responsivity to stress alone.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)122-130
Number of pages9
JournalHealth Psychology
Volume18
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1999

Keywords

  • Contraceptives
  • Fibrinogen
  • Lipids
  • Reactivity
  • Smoking

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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