AJP-Heart and Circulatory Physiology Podcast

Is brachial artery endothelial function in healthy premenopausal women negatively impacted by longer term use of oral contraceptive pills? Listen as Guest Editor Milton H. Hamblin (Tulane University School of Medicine) interviews lead author Maureen MacDonald (McMaster University) and content expert Daniel Credeur (University of Southern Mississippi) about the novel work by Shenouda et al, which was inspired by a lack of information in the scientific literature about controlling for contraceptive pill use and menstrual cycle when assessing endothelial function in healthy humans. There are estimates that over 67 million women worldwide are using oral contraceptive pills, yet the effect of this medication on vascular endothelial and smooth muscle physiology is dramatically understudied. Does brachial artery flow mediated dilation change across the menstrual cycle in healthy women? How do these results compare to men? Listen, read, and find out.

Ninette Shenouda, Stacey E. Priest, Vanessa I. Rizzuto, and Maureen J. MacDonald Brachial artery endothelial function is stable across a menstrual and oral contraceptive pill cycle, but lower in premenopausal women than age-matched men Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published May 4, 2018. DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00102.2018