Introduction: • Hormone therapy has been described as a risk factor for chronic pain conditions such as low back pain and temporomandibular disorders (TMD)• Hormonal contraception (HC) may affect pain by altering the function of the endogenous opioid system and augmenting serotonin metabolism • HC has been shown to increase experimental heat and ischemic pain sensitivity in women with TMD and migraine headaches • Women using HC also demonstrate decreased pressure pain and tactile thresholds of the temporalis and masseter muscles compared to healthy women not using HC • An association between the use of HC and painful conditions such as migraine headaches and TMD has been described in previous studies although the nature of this association remains unclear • This analysis sought to determine the relationship between HC use and painful symptoms (particularly headaches and orofacial pain
