Women with asthma may benefit from oral contraceptives

New research shows that during natural menstrual cycles, women with asthma who were not taking oral contraceptives (OC) had lower exhaled nitric oxide levels (eNO), a marker of airway inflammation linked to asthma, than women who were taking OC.

Scientists from McMaster University in Hamilton, ON, Canada, studied 17 women with asthma during their menstrual cycles. Results showed that individuals not using oral contraceptives (OC) had higher mean eNO levels than women using OC.

Furthermore, among women not using oral contraceptives, an increase in estrogen levels was linked to a decrease in eNO, while an increase in progesterone was significantly linked to an increase in eNO. Scientists speculate that OC may have a potential role in the management of premenopausal women with asthma.