Key clinical point: Women taking oral contraceptives showed lower volume in the hypothalamic and pituitary gland compared to normally cycling women based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.
Major finding: Hypothalamic and pituitary volumes were significantly lower in women using oral contraceptives compared to naturally cycling women (B = -81.2 for both; P = 0.002 and P = -0.04, respectively).
Study details : The data come from a prospective study of 50 healthy women aged 18 and older, including 21 oral contraceptive users, and 29 naturally cycling women.
Disclosures: The study received no outside funding. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
Source: Chen KX et al. PLos One. 2021 Apr 21. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249482. eCollection 2021.