Cardiovascular Diseases, Estrogen, Microvasculature, Oral Contraceptive Use
Conditions
Keywords
Female, oral contraceptive
Brief summary
The goal of this study is to learn how long-term use of estrogen affects blood vessels in healthy adults. Participants will: * give one blood draw of 5 mL * have one Dexa Scan taken to measure adipose and muscle mass * have a camera placed under the tongue to take pictures of blood vessels * have 2 laser Doppler microdialysis catheters placed on the forearm to monitor blood vessels before and after local drug infusion Researchers will compare blood vessel function of those who take estrogen to those who do not.
Interventions
DRUGNω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)
L-NAME will be infused locally through microdialysis catheters.
DRUGAcetylcholine
ACh will be infused locally through microdialysis catheters.
DRUGSodium Nitroprusside
SNP will be infused locally through microdialysis catheters.
Sponsors
Medical College of Wisconsin
Study design
Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Estrogen/Progestin Group * Adults aged 18-40 years * Females with estrogen/progestin treatment for a minimum of 1 year. * Blood pressure \<140/ \< 90 mmHg * No more than 1 cardiovascular risk factor Control Groups * Adults aged 18-40 years * Female with no estrogen/progestin treatment for minimum of 5 years. * Female undergoing progestin only treatment for a minimum of 1 year. * Blood pressure \<140/ \< 90 mmHg * No more than 1 cardiovascular risk factor
Exclusion criteria
* Medications that could alter cardiovascular control * Rash, skin disease, or pigmentation disorders on both forearms * Anemia * Kidney Disease * Known skin allergies * Smoking or tobacco use within last 6 months * Coronary Artery Disease -1 cardiovascular risk factor Hypertension Diabetes Hypercholesterolemia Hyperlipidemia * Bleeding disorders * Use of anti-coagulants * Allergies to study drugs * Use of topical/non-topical steroids in last 6 months * Internal mouth sores * Forearms covered with tattoos * Pregnancy
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in blood vessel dilation | 2 hours | Cutaneous vascular conductance in response to acetylcholine, L-NAME, and sodium nitroprusside infusions will be calculated as percentage of cardiovascular conductance. |
| Change in Perfused Vessel Density | 0.5 hours | Total vessel density (TVD) will be calculated using the DeBacker Score manual analysis on all images that have a minimum microcirculation image quality score (MIQS) of 10. Perfused vessel density (PVD) will be calculated by multiplying total vessel density (TVD) x proportion of perfused vessels (PPV%). |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed