The effects of oral contraceptives on resting autonomic function and the autonomic response to physiological stressors: a systematic review.

OC influence the physiological responses to chemoreflex, mechanoreflex, and metaboreflex activation. In terms of autonomic indices and physiological stressors, there are more inconsistencies within the OC literature, which may be due to estrogen dosage within the OC formulation (i.e., heart rate variability) or the intensity of the stressor (exercise intensity/duration or orthostatic stress). Further research is required to elucidate the effects of OC on these aspects of autonomic function because of the relatively small amount of available research. Furthermore, researchers should more clearly define or stratify OC use by duration, dose, and/or hormone cycling to further elucidate the effects of OC.