Non-randomised trial, 2009
How do sex hormones, menstrual cycle phase, and birth control pills affect adolescent stress responses?
Oral contraceptive users had an unusual response to stress with cortisol that decreased during stress, while non-pill users had increases in cortisol similar to adults. Menstrual cycle phase did not affect stress responses.
What they did
A study of 644 Dutch adolescents aged 15-17 (54.7% boys) from a large population study. Participants attended a lab session where they gave saliva samples to measure cortisol (a stress hormone) after waking and during a stressful task involving public speaking and mental math. Girls' menstrual cycle phase and oral contraceptive use were recorded.
What they found
There were no differences in cortisol after waking based on gender or menstrual cycle phase, though girls using oral contraceptives had a slightly blunted response. During the stress task, boys and non-pill-using girls had increases in cortisol, while pill users showed no increase and their cortisol actually decreased during stress. Menstrual cycle phase did not affect cortisol responses to stress.
What it means for you
Oral contraceptives significantly change how adolescent girls respond to stress, preventing the normal rise in cortisol. This differs from findings in adult pill users. The study is large and measures cortisol directly from saliva. Researchers were unable to examine different types of pills because very few adolescents used progestin-only pills.
644
Total adolescents in study
54.7%
Proportion who were boys
15-17
Age range in years
About the study
- Original title
- Adolescents' cortisol responses to awakening and social stress; effects of gender, menstrual phase and oral contraceptives. The TRAILS study
- Authors
- Bouma EM, Riese H, Ormel J et al.
- Journal
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Year
- 2009
- Study design
- Non-randomised trial
- Participants
- 644
- What was tested
- None - observational study of oral contraceptive use
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.01.003
Topics
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