Five women using low-dose, monophasic oral contraceptive (OC) agents (OC group) and ten normally menstruating women (Non-OC group) performed a treadmill protocol to determine the effect of OCs and the menstrual cycle (MC) on intermittent exercise performance and some commonly used metabolic markers. The Non-OC group were tested once in the mid-follicular phase (MFP) and once in the late luteal phase (LLP) of the MC, while the OC group performed their first test within 1 week of taking the OC (T1) and their second test 1 week later (T2). Despite performance time being the same in both groups [mean (SD), Non-OC group: 77.7 (14.9) s versus OC group: 77.7 (21.1)s], plasma ammonia concentration ([NH3]pl) was higher in the Non-OC group when compared to the OC group throughout recovery (P < 0.05). No differences were found in blood lactate (BLa), maximum heart rate or aural temperature (Tau) between groups. Within the Non-OC group Tau increased with exercise in both phases (P < 0.05), however Tau was higher in the LLP at rest [36.1 (0.3) degrees C) and 1 min post-exercise [37.1 (0.6) degrees C), when compared to the MFP [35.8 (0.3) and 36.9 (0.7) degrees C, rest and 1 min post-exercise respectively, P < 0.05]. Within the OC group T1 resulted in a higher peak BLa [11.2 (0.4) mmol/l] and [NH3]pl (143.0 (26.2) Umol/l] when compared to T2 [BLa, 9.6 (0.9); [NH3], 119.4 (48.1), P<0.05]. These results suggest that: (1) exercise performance does not vary between the MFP and the LLP of the MC, nor does it appear to be affected by the number of days using the OC, and (2) an altered metabolism occurs both between groups (Non-OC versus OC) and within the OC group.

In postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis, improvement in persistence with a less frequently administered oral bisphosphonate therapy could augment the fracture benefit and thereby improve cost-effectiveness. Further studies are required to refine the estimates of cost-effectiveness in order to address limited availability of adherence and fracture risk data.

Nine untrained women using low dosage monophasic oral contraceptives (OC) performed an intermittent treadmill test on two different occasions within one pill-cycle to determine the effect of OC on performance and some commonly used metabolic markers. The first test was performed after 5-8 days of resuming the OC agents after menstrual bleeding while the other test was performed after 19-21 days. Performance time on the final exhausting run of six intermittent high intensity 20 s runs was no different between trials [mean days 5-8: 22.3 (SEM 1.2) s vs days 19-21: 22.7 (SEM 1.1) s]. There was no difference in heart rate [peak heart rate days 5-8: 183 (SEM 3) beats.min-1 vs days 19-21: 186 (SEM 2) beats.min-1], oxygen consumption during any run [run 5 of days 5-8: 1,392 (SEM 51) ml.min-1 vs run 5 of days 19-21: 1,494 (SEM 3) ml.min-1] or in any of the metabolic variables measured at any time in venous blood [peak blood lactate concentration days 5-8: 8.4 (SEM 0.3) mmol.l-1 vs days 19-21: 8.1 (SEM 0.5) mmol.l-1; peak blood glycerol concentration days 5-8: 0.39 (SEM 0.02) mmol.l-1 vs days 19-21: 0.38 (SEM 0.02) mmol.l-1; resting free fatty acids concentration days 5-8: 0.25 (SEM 0.05) mmol.l-1 vs days 19-21: 0.29 (SEM 0.07) mmol.l-1; peak blood glucose concentration days 5-8: 6.7 (SEM 0.5) mmol.l-1 vs days 19-21: 6.6 (SEM 0.2) mmol.l-1; peak capillary blood ammonia concentration days 5-8: 139 (SEM 18.3) mumol.l-1 vs days 19-21: 170 (SEM 18.0) mumol.l-1]. These results suggest neither intermittent high intensity exercise performance nor energy metabolism change between days 5-8 and days 19-21 of a low dosage monophasic OC pill during one pill-cycle.

Further investigation will be needed to determine whether naltrexone is efficacious among depressed alcohol dependent patients and whether naltrexone and antidepressant medications show interactive efficacy for treating alcohol dependence.

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