Oral contraceptive pills do not increase blood pressure during heavy workout: IIT Madras research

Chennai, November 18 (IANS). A research conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has revealed that if women taking oral contraceptives do heavy workouts (in which their large muscles are activated), then there is no change in their blood pressure.

Women resort to oral contraceptive pills to prevent pregnancy. Although some oral contraceptive pills are known to increase blood pressure at rest, the effect of these drugs on blood pressure during vigorous physical activity is not yet fully known.

Additionally, research has been unclear on whether hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle affect blood pressure.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found that oral contraceptive use and normal fluctuations in levels of hormones (such as estrogen) released by the ovaries have no effect on blood pressure in young women aged 20 to 25.

The research results were also similar with lower body exercise and activation of skeletal muscle sensitive neurons, which are known to contribute to excessive blood pressure response in heart patients.

Dr. Ninitha A.J., Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras. “The findings of this study have broader implications and are important because they address the impact of exercise on blood pressure in women taking oral contraceptives,” said Dr.

It is noteworthy that BP can increase during workout, which is called 'exercise pressure reflex'. However, researchers showed that the 'exercise pressor reflex' was the same in women regardless of menstrual cycle stage or use of oral contraceptives.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, suggest that oral contraceptives do not increase the blood pressure response in women any more than those who do not use oral contraceptives.

“The next step in this work is to determine whether EPR is a factor contributing to cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women,” said Dr. Manda Keller Ross, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota.

–IANS

MKS/AS