Highlights
- Combined hormonal contraceptive (HC) use is associated with a 31% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) among women without a history of PTSD.
- The presence of depression or generalized anxiety disorder does not significantly alter the cardiovascular risk profile associated with HC use.
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) acts as a critical moderator, negating the cardiovascular benefits of HCs and trending toward an increased risk (OR 1.68) for MACE.
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) risk appears independent of the interaction between stress-related psychiatric disorders and HC use in this cohort.
Background
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality among women globally, yet sex-specific risk factors often remain under-investigated or poorly integrated into clinical practice. Traditional risk models frequently overlook the profound impact of neuropsychiatric health on vascular outcomes. Stress-related disorders—specifically Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—are disproportionately prevalent in women and have been independently linked to accelerated atherosclerosis and adverse cardiac events.
Simultaneously, hormonal contraceptives (HCs) are among the most widely used medications in women of reproductive age. While the thrombotic risks of older generations of HCs are well-documented, modern formulations and their broader impact on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in the context of psychiatric comorbidities remain a subject of debate. The biological intersection of exogenous sex steroids and the chronic physiological stress signatures of disorders like PTSD—characterized by hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation and autonomic hyperarousal—represents a crucial gap in current evidence-based medicine. This review synthesizes recent evidence to clarify whether psychiatric diagnoses moderate the safety and efficacy of HC use regarding cardiovascular outcomes.
Key Content
Study Architecture and Patient Demographics
A pivotal retrospective cohort study conducted between 2024 and 2025, utilizing a US hospital-based biobank, analyzed data from 31,824 women aged 18 to 55. The cohort was racially and socioeconomically diverse, with a mean age of 38.5 years. Approximately 37.6% of participants had a documented history of combined HC use. The prevalence of stress-related disorders was significant: depression (28.5%), anxiety (11.1%), and PTSD (6.3%). The primary endpoints investigated were Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE)—encompassing myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and revascularization—and Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).
The Differential Impact of Psychiatric Diagnoses
The most striking finding from recent research is the divergence between different types of stress disorders. While MDD and GAD are common, they do not appear to interact with HCs in a way that modifies cardiovascular risk. For women with these conditions, the use of HCs followed the general population trend of being associated with lower or neutral MACE risk.
However, PTSD emerged as a unique clinical phenotype. In women without PTSD, HC use was associated with a statistically significant reduction in MACE (OR 0.69; 95% CI, 0.49–0.96). Conversely, for women with a lifetime history of PTSD, this protective association vanished. In the PTSD subgroup, the odds ratio for MACE among HC users rose to 1.68. Although this specific subgroup finding did not reach statistical significance (95% CI, 0.87–3.24) likely due to a smaller sample size (n=1,992), the interaction between PTSD status and HC use was statistically significant, suggesting a distinct physiological mechanism at play.
Thrombotic vs. Cardiovascular Divergence
Interestingly, the research found no significant interaction between any stress disorder and HC use regarding the risk of DVT. This suggests that while the “stress-heart” axis is sensitive to the interplay of hormones and psychiatric status, the traditional pathways of venous thromboembolism may be more heavily influenced by hepatic clotting factor synthesis and classic Virchow’s triad elements rather than the neuro-hormonal pathways implicated in MACE.
Mechanistic Insights: Why PTSD is Different
The discrepancy between PTSD and other mood disorders like depression or anxiety regarding HC interaction is of high translational interest. PTSD is uniquely associated with:
- Sympathetic Overactivity: Chronic elevation of catecholamines can lead to endothelial dysfunction, which may counter the vasodilatory effects of estrogen components in HCs.
- HPA Axis Sensitivity: Unlike the hypocortisolism often seen in some forms of depression, PTSD is characterized by an enhanced negative feedback of the HPA axis, potentially altering how exogenous steroids interact with glucocorticoid receptors.
- Inflammatory Priming: PTSD is linked to higher baseline levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6, TNF-alpha), which can create a synergistic pro-atherogenic environment when combined with the slight increases in C-reactive protein sometimes observed with oral contraceptive use.
Expert Commentary
From a clinical perspective, these findings challenge the “one-size-fits-all” approach to contraceptive counseling. For the vast majority of women, including those with depression and anxiety, combined hormonal contraceptives do not appear to increase cardiovascular risk and may even be associated with lower risk in real-world cohorts. This “protective” association might be partially attributed to the stabilization of endogenous hormonal fluctuations or a “healthy user” bias where women healthy enough to be prescribed HCs have fewer baseline comorbidities.
However, the PTSD data serves as a critical red flag. Clinicians should exercise increased vigilance when prescribing combined HCs to women with a history of trauma-related disorders. This does not necessarily mandate a contraindication, but rather suggests that cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, lipid profile, smoking status) should be managed more aggressively in this specific population.
One limitation of current evidence is the retrospective nature of the data, which relies on ICD-10 coding. Future prospective trials should aim to distinguish between different HC delivery methods (e.g., transdermal vs. oral) and specific progestin generations, as these have varying degrees of mineralocorticoid and androgenic activity which could interact differently with stress-related sympathetic tone.
Conclusion
Recent evidence provides a nuanced view of women’s cardiovascular health, demonstrating that the safety profile of hormonal contraceptives is inextricably linked to psychiatric history. While depression and anxiety do not appear to increase the cardiovascular burden of HC use, PTSD modifies this relationship, negating the cardiovascular benefits seen in the general population. As we move toward personalized medicine, integrating psychiatric history into the cardiovascular risk assessment for hormonal therapy is no longer optional but essential. Further research into the neuro-hormonal pathways of PTSD is required to develop safer reproductive health strategies for women who have experienced significant psychological trauma.
References
- Thomas JL, Ellis RA, AbiKaram K, et al. Hormonal Contraceptive Use, Stress Disorders, and Cardiovascular and Thrombotic Risk in Women. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(1):e2551878. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.51878. PMID: 41481290.
- Tawakol A, Ishai A, Takx RA, et al. Relation between resting amygdalar activity and cardiovascular events: a longitudinal and cross-sectional study. Lancet. 2017;389(10071):834-845.
- Osborne MT, Shin LM, Mehta NN, et al. Disproportionate Distribution of Stress-Related Neural Activity in Relation to Favorable Cardiovascular Health. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020;75(24):3000-3012.
