Sex differences in the physiological responses to cardiac rehabilitation: a systematic review.

Background: Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in Canada. Many heart disease patients are referred for cardiac rehabilitation, a multidisciplinary outpatient program often consisting of exercise training. Cardiac rehabilitation has been proven to be a successful secondary preventative measure in reducing mortality and improving overall health in heart disease patients, and its completion is important for both sexes as there is growing evidence that women benefit as much as men, if not more, with regard to mortality.

The effects of oral contraceptives on resting autonomic function and the autonomic response to physiological stressors: a systematic review.

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to summarize how oral contraceptives (OC) affect resting autonomic function and the autonomic response to a variety of physiological stressors.

Methods: A search strategy was created to retrieve citations investigating physiological responses comparing OC users to non-users (NOC) in response to autonomic reflex activation.

Results: A total of 6148 citations were identified across databases from inception to June 2, 2022, and 3870 citations were screened at the abstract level after deduplication.