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Influence of oral contraceptives on endogenous pain control in healthy women

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Abstract

This study investigated the influence of oral contraceptives (OC) on diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC) in healthy women. Fifteen women taking OC and 17 normally menstruating women (No-OC) were tested during high and low endogenous estrogens sessions. Saliva was sampled for analysis of endogenous estradiol level. Mechanical pressure (test stimuli) was applied to the masseter muscle and finger. The pain induced by this pressure was assessed on a 0–10 numerical rating scale (NRS) before, during, and after immersion of the contralateral hand in ice-cold water (cold pressor test, CPT) to induce DNIC. For all subjects, pain induced by the test stimuli decreased significantly during the CPT (P < 0.001). The decrease in general was larger in the No-OC group, with a significant difference between groups in the masseter muscle in the low session (P < 0.027). There were no significant differences between groups or sessions in estradiol levels. These results indicate that endogenous pain modulation may be less effective in OC users.

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Acknowledgments

Professors Angelica Linden Hirschberg and Kjell Carlström are kindly acknowledged for valuable comments on the manuscript. This study was supported by the Swedish Dental Society and by funds from Karolinska Institutet.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Clinical Oral Physiology, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 4064, SE-141 04, Huddinge, Sweden

    Taraneh Rezaii & Malin Ernberg

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  1. Taraneh Rezaii
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  2. Malin Ernberg
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Correspondence to Taraneh Rezaii.

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Rezaii, T., Ernberg, M. Influence of oral contraceptives on endogenous pain control in healthy women. Exp Brain Res 203, 329–338 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-010-2246-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-010-2246-y

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