--- title: How do sex hormones, menstrual cycle phase, and birth control pills affect adolescent stress responses? description: Oral contraceptive users had an unusual response to stress with cortisol that decreased during stress, while non-pill users had increases in cortisol similar url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/adolescents-cortisol-responses-to-awakening-and-social-stress-effects-of-gender-2009/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How do sex hormones, menstrual cycle phase, and birth control pills affect adolescent stress responses? Non-randomised trial, 2009 # How do sex hormones, menstrual cycle phase, and birth control pills affect adolescent stress responses? Oral contraceptive users had an unusual response to stress with cortisol that decreased during stress, while non-pill users had increases in cortisol similar to adults. Menstrual cycle phase did not affect stress responses. Moderate study design 644 Dutch adolescents aged 15-17 (54.7% boys, girls with varying oral contraceptive use and menstrual cycle phases) ## What they did A study of 644 Dutch adolescents aged 15-17 (54.7% boys) from a large population study. Participants attended a lab session where they gave saliva samples to measure cortisol (a stress hormone) after waking and during a stressful task involving public speaking and mental math. Girls' menstrual cycle phase and oral contraceptive use were recorded. ## What they found There were no differences in cortisol after waking based on gender or menstrual cycle phase, though girls using oral contraceptives had a slightly blunted response. During the stress task, boys and non-pill-using girls had increases in cortisol, while pill users showed no increase and their cortisol actually decreased during stress. Menstrual cycle phase did not affect cortisol responses to stress. ## What it means for you Oral contraceptives significantly change how adolescent girls respond to stress, preventing the normal rise in cortisol. This differs from findings in adult pill users. The study is large and measures cortisol directly from saliva. Researchers were unable to examine different types of pills because very few adolescents used progestin-only pills. 644 Total adolescents in study 54.7% Proportion who were boys 15-17 Age range in years ## About the study Original title Adolescents' cortisol responses to awakening and social stress; effects of gender, menstrual phase and oral contraceptives. The TRAILS study Authors Bouma EM, Riese H, Ormel J et al. Journal Psychoneuroendocrinology Year 2009 Study design Non-randomised trial Participants 644 What was tested None - observational study of oral contraceptive use Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.01.003](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.01.003) ## Topics [Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2025 Do menstrual problems and poor sleep affect mood and thinking in teenage girls? Non-randomised trial, 2014 Does the menstrual cycle phase change how one night of poor sleep affects the stress hormone cortisol? Survey study, 2001 What behaviors and factors are linked to breast pain during the menstrual cycle? Randomised trial, 2025 Does mood, well-being, and sexual function change across the menstrual cycle? Cohort study, 2025 Are irregular menstrual cycles linked to lower thinking and memory skills in middle-aged women? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗