The impacts of pill contraceptive low-dose on plasma levels of nitric oxide, homocysteine, and lipid profiles in the exposed vs. non exposed women: as the risk factor for cardiovascular diseases

Zahra Momeni; Ali Dehghani; Hossein Fallahzadeh; Moslem Koohgardi; Maryam Dafei; Seyed Hossein Hekmatimoghaddam; Masoud Mohammadi

doi:10.1186/s40834-020-00110-z

The impacts of pill contraceptive low-dose on plasma levels of nitric oxide, homocysteine, and lipid profiles in the exposed vs. non exposed women: as the risk factor for cardiovascular diseases

Contracept Reprod Med. 2020 Jun 10:5:7. doi: 10.1186/s40834-020-00110-z. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Zahra Momeni¹, Ali Dehghani¹, Hossein Fallahzadeh¹, Moslem Koohgardi², Maryam Dafei³, Seyed Hossein Hekmatimoghaddam⁴, Masoud Mohammadi⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Health Faculity, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran.
² Department of Health Education & Health Promotion, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Kerman, Iran.
³ Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran.
⁴ Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Paramedicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Yazd, Iran.
⁵ Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Consuming oral contraceptive pills is one of the methods for preventing pregnancy worldwide. As using the pills has always caused the greatest concern for the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases and also given the limited conducted studies in this regard, this study was carried out to determine the impacts of low dose birth control pills on plasma levels of nitric oxide, homocysteine, and lipid profiles in the exposed vs. non exposed women as the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

Methods: This was a combined cohort study conducted on 100 women, having the age range 20-35 years and normal menstrual cycles, referred to the health care centers in Yazd, Iran. The demographic data were obtained through face to face interviews performed by the researcher. Anthropometric indexes were measured and biochemical factors were determined by testing blood samples. Then, using SPSS 16 and statistical independent t-test and Chi- square, the data were analyzed.

Results: The mean ± standard deviations of plasma levels of homocysteine, nitric oxide, cholesterol, triglyceride, Low Density Lipoprotein, and High Density Lipoprotein levels in the group consumed low dose contraceptive pills were 3.84 ± 2.35 μmol/l, 181.36 ± 90.44 μM, 180.7 ± 38.28 mg/dl, 129.82 ± 47.92 mg/ dl, 101.42 ± 30.66 mg/dl, and 56.46 ± 8.42 mg/dl, There were significant statistical differences between those consuming the pills and those not consuming the pills regarding cholesterol (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Consuming Low Dose contraceptive pills can increase the plasma levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, and Low Density Lipoprotein levels; i.e. this condition is called dyslipidemia. On the other hand, there were no changes in the levels of homocysteine and nitric oxide in the healthy women consuming the pills; therefore, the pills may not develop cardiovascular diseases in healthy women. Accordingly, it is recommended that the health care providers prescribe the pills for the women with cautions.

Keywords: Combined cohort study; Homocysteine; Lipid profile; Nitric oxide; Oral contraceptive pills.