ADRENOCORTICAL ACTIVATION FOLLOWING STRESSFUL EXERCISE - FURTHER EVIDENCE FOR ATTENUATED FREE CORTISOL RESPONSES IN WOMEN USING ORAL-CONTRACEPTIVES

Free cortisol, heart rate and affective responses to bicycle ergometry were studied in 31 women using oral contraceptives (OC) and 22 contro l women. While OC users and control women showed significant increases in both free cortisol and heart rate, OC users had significantly atte nuated cortisol responses. Individual workload, peak heart rates and a ffective responses were similar in both groups. No effect of menstrual or pill cycle phase could be observed on the parameters studied. It i s concluded that OC users are able to mount a significant free cortiso l response to strenuous exercise but the response magnitude is lower t han in women who do not use oestrogen-containing medication. Possible mechanisms and health implications are discussed briefly.