The relationship between the menstrual cycle, oral contraceptives, and executive function – inhibition, updating, and shifting

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cris.lastimport.scopus2024-09-06T03:10:58Z
dc.abstract.enPrevious research suggests a link between oral contraceptives and cognitive functioning in women, yet the results are contradictory and limited by methodological inconsistencies. This is the first meta-analysis of studies comparing naturally cycling women with women taking oral contraceptives on measures testing three executive functions: inhibition, updating, and shifting. We conducted a systematic literature search. Sixteen articles were included which were either cross-sectional or experimental and compared executive functions between women taking oral contraceptives (n = 588) or cycling naturally (n = 594). The average sample size was n = 32.33 for oral contraceptives users and n = 31.34 for naturally cycling women with ranges going from 8 to 144 participants per study. The age range of participants in all the studies taken together was between 18 for the youngest participant and 50 years old for the oldest participant with a mean age of M = 21.97, SD = 2.28. The studies presented a mixture of androgenic and anti-androgenic oral contraceptives which were rarely analyzed as separate groups. We ran a multivariate meta-analysis model to estimate the effect size of 66 comparisons in executive functioning between the groups taking oral contraceptives and the groups of naturally cycling women. Overall, the effect size of differences in executive functioning between groups was not significant: d = 0.044, SE = 0.0713, 95% CI [−0.0959, 0.1839], z = 0.62; p = 0.54. The analysis of the cycle phases and types of executive functions as moderators was not significant, however, the studies assessed as having a lower quality increased the overall effect. Our analysis indicates no difference between oral contraceptive users and naturally cycling women on core executive functions but the high amount of heterogeneity might reflect a high level of methodological diversity. Implications for research design and methodology are discussed.
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii w Warszawie
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.contributor.authorKowalczyk, Melanie
dc.contributor.authorKornacka, Monika
dc.contributor.authorWisiecka, Katarzyna
dc.contributor.authorMłyniec, Agnieszka
dc.contributor.authorRedeł, Anna
dc.contributor.authorSzwykowska-Ziemniak, Maria
dc.contributor.authorKrejtz, Izabela
dc.date.access2024-04-16
dc.date.accessioned2024-04-16T08:15:32Z
dc.date.available2024-04-16T08:15:32Z
dc.date.created2023-10-17
dc.date.issued2023-12-22
dc.description.abstract<jats:p> Abstract: Previous research suggests a link between oral contraceptives and cognitive functioning in women, yet the results are contradictory and limited by methodological inconsistencies. This is the first meta-analysis of studies comparing naturally cycling women with women taking oral contraceptives on measures testing three executive functions: inhibition, updating, and shifting. We conducted a systematic literature search. Sixteen articles were included which were either cross-sectional or experimental and compared executive functions between women taking oral contraceptives ( n = 588) or cycling naturally ( n = 594). The average sample size was n = 32.33 for oral contraceptives users and n = 31.34 for naturally cycling women with ranges going from 8 to 144 participants per study. The age range of participants in all the studies taken together was between 18 for the youngest participant and 50 years old for the oldest participant with a mean age of M = 21.97, SD = 2.28. The studies presented a mixture of androgenic and anti-androgenic oral contraceptives which were rarely analyzed as separate groups. We ran a multivariate meta-analysis model to estimate the effect size of 66 comparisons in executive functioning between the groups taking oral contraceptives and the groups of naturally cycling women. Overall, the effect size of differences in executive functioning between groups was not significant: d = 0.044, SE = 0.0713, 95% CI [−0.0959, 0.1839], z = 0.62; p = 0.54. The analysis of the cycle phases and types of executive functions as moderators was not significant, however, the studies assessed as having a lower quality increased the overall effect. Our analysis indicates no difference between oral contraceptive users and naturally cycling women on core executive functions but the high amount of heterogeneity might reflect a high level of methodological diversity. Implications for research design and methodology are discussed. </jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeafter_publication
dc.description.grantnumber2020/37/N/HS6/02571
dc.description.granttitleZwiązek pomiędzy cyklem menstruacyjnym a lękiem i funkcjonowaniem poznawczym – moderacyjna rola stosowania doustnej antykoncepcji hormonalnej
dc.description.issue4
dc.description.physical288-304
dc.description.versionfinal_author
dc.description.volume28
dc.identifier.doi10.1027/1016-9040/a000514
dc.identifier.eissn1878-531X
dc.identifier.issn1016-9040
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/627
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/10.1027/1016-9040/a000514
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_REPOSITORY
dc.subject.enexecutive functions
dc.subject.eninhibition
dc.subject.enupdating
dc.subject.enshifting
dc.subject.enoral contraceptives
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleThe relationship between the menstrual cycle, oral contraceptives, and executive function – inhibition, updating, and shifting
dc.title.journalEuropean Psychologist
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle