Estrogen and Microvascular Function

N/AActive Not RecruitingNCT06043310

Medical College of Wisconsin45 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this study is to learn how long-term use of estrogen affects blood vessels in healthy adults. Participants will: * give one blood draw of 5 mL * have one Dexa Scan taken to measure adipose and muscle mass * have a camera placed under the tongue to take pictures of blood vessels * have 2 laser Doppler microdialysis catheters placed on the forearm to monitor blood vessels before and after local drug infusion Researchers will compare blood vessel function of those who take estrogen to those who do not.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Estrogen Cardiovascular Diseases Microvasculature Oral Contraceptive Use

Interventions

Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 40 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: Estrogen/Progestin Group * Adults aged 18-40 years * Females with estrogen/progestin treatment for a minimum of 1 year. * Blood pressure \<140/ \< 90 mmHg * No more than 1 cardiovascular risk factor Control Groups * Adults aged 18-40 years * Female with no estrogen/progestin treatment for minimum of 5 years. * Female undergoing progestin only treatment for a minimum of 1 year. * Blood pressure \<140/ \< 90 mmHg * No more than 1 cardiovascular risk factor Exclusion Criteria: * Medications that could alter cardiovascular control * Rash, skin disease, or pigmentation disorders on both forearms * Anemia * Kidney Disease * Known skin allergies * Smoking or tobacco use within last 6 months * Coronary Artery Disease -1 cardiovascular risk factor Hypertension Diabetes Hypercholesterolemia Hyperlipidemia * Bleeding disorders * Use of anti-coagulants * Allergies to study drugs * Use of topical/non-topical steroids in last 6 months * Internal mouth sores * Forearms covered with tattoos * Pregnancy

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in blood vessel dilation

Cutaneous vascular conductance in response to acetylcholine, L-NAME, and sodium nitroprusside infusions will be calculated as percentage of cardiovascular conductance.

Time frame: 2 hours

Change in Perfused Vessel Density

Total vessel density (TVD) will be calculated using the DeBacker Score manual analysis on all images that have a minimum microcirculation image quality score (MIQS) of 10. Perfused vessel density (PVD) will be calculated by multiplying total vessel density (TVD) x proportion of perfused vessels (PPV%).

Time frame: 0.5 hours