Effect of combined oral contraceptive use on verbal memory function in healthy women.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Female sex hormones as well as the synthetic hormones contained within combined oral contraceptives (COCs) may influence emotional and cognitive functioning including learning and memory; however, findings are inconsistent. We here present the largest study to date investigating the effect of COC use on verbal memory in healthy women.

Methods

COC use and verbal memory scores were available from the CIMBI database for 205 healthy women in the reproductive age. We assessed if verbal memory and affective bias differed between COC users and non-users. In a subgroup of natural cycling women in the follicular phase, we assessed if verbal memory was associated with plasma estradiol levels.

Results

We found no statistically significant group differences in either over

SUBMITTER: Hochheim MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12436564 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature