Masama Coleka, Jarkas Dana A, Thaw Emily, Daneshmend Ayeila Z B, Franklyn Sabina I, Beaurepaire Cecile, McQuaid Robyn J
Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada.
Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada.
Horm Behav. 2022 Aug;144:105229. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105229. Epub 2022 Jun 29.
Oral contraceptives are used by millions of women worldwide, yet there are questions regarding the psychological and biological consequences of these medications. Considering that sex steroid hormones can regulate neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to stress, the current study examined mood and stress symptomatologies, as well as circulating levels of cortisol and inflammatory biomarkers among young women (N = 388), of whom, 47.0 % (n = 182) were using a form of hormonal contraception. Women using hormone contraceptives displayed significantly higher depressive and stress scores compared to non-users, whereas no differences were found for anxiety symptoms. Moreover, contraceptive users had markedly elevated plasma cortisol and C-reactive protein levels in comparison to non-users. Upon assessing women at different phases of their menstrual cycle, hormone contraceptive users displayed higher levels of cortisol compared to women in the follicular and luteal phases, in addition to higher levels of CRP levels compared to women in the luteal phase. Together, these findings suggest that hormone contraceptive use is linked to exaggerated basal neuroendocrine and inflammatory profiles, which could potentially increase sensitivity to the impacts of stressors and mood disturbances.
全球数以百万计的女性使用口服避孕药，然而这些药物的心理和生物学后果仍存在疑问。鉴于性甾体激素可调节神经内分泌和对应激的行为反应，本研究调查了年轻女性（N = 388）的情绪和应激症状，以及皮质醇和炎症生物标志物的循环水平，其中47.0%（n = 182）使用某种形式的激素避孕方法。与未使用者相比，使用激素避孕方法的女性表现出明显更高的抑郁和应激评分，而焦虑症状方面未发现差异。此外，与未使用者相比，避孕使用者的血浆皮质醇和C反应蛋白水平显著升高。在评估处于月经周期不同阶段的女性时，激素避孕使用者与卵泡期和黄体期的女性相比，皮质醇水平更高，与黄体期的女性相比，CRP水平也更高。总之，这些发现表明，使用激素避孕方法与基础神经内分泌和炎症特征的过度表现有关，这可能会增加对应激源影响和情绪障碍的敏感性。
