Abstract
Birth control pills are the most popular method of birth control for women. In the United States of America, roughly 10.2 million women use some type of birth control pills. The two main types of birth control pills available to women are combination pills, which contain both estrogen and progestin, and progestin-only birth control pills that do not contain any estrogen. Numerous biological research studies have been performed studying the effects of combination birth control pills on blood pressure and body weight. However, few studies have examined blood pressure combined with both heart rate, body temperature, and body weight to study the effects of combination birth control pills. We hypothesized that women taking combination birth control pills will have higher heart rates, blood pressures, body weights, and body temperatures when compared to the control group. This research study consisted of 40 women from Columbia College who were either on combination birth control pills or a member of the control group, which meant they were not on any form of hormonal birth control. Students came in twice a week for eight weeks to have their heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature measured to determine the effect, if any, of birth control on these factors. Body weight was measured once during the beginning of the study and once at the end. The research study recently concluded and data was analyzed through statistical analysis (SPSS) using both ANOVA and t-tests.
Recommended Citation
Leigh, Scarlett E. and Marsh, Marlee B.
(2019)
"The Effect of Combination Birth Control Pills on Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Body Weight and Body Temperature,"
Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science: Vol. 17:
Iss.
2, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/jscas/vol17/iss2/3