Defining effect of oral contraceptive use on smelling function

Smells are the formed by chemical substances that are generally found in very small concentrations in the air and which can be perceived through the sense of smell. However, despite its importance, accurately assessing our sense of smell is a difficult task. This is due both to its subjective nature and to the fact that there is no generally accepted and applied test across the world regarding the sense of smell. It is believed that the threshold differences that exist between genders, the effect of the menstrual cycle on the sense of smell and the olfactory changes that occur during pregnancy are all due to the effects of hormonal factors. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of oral contraceptive use on the sense of smell. This study was conducted at the Afyon Kocatepe University, Ahmet Necdet Sezer Research and Application Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology between September 2012 and February 2013. A total of 15 patients using oral contraceptives who were admitted to the Afyon Kocatepe University Gynecology and Obstetrics Polyclinic, and 15 healthy women who did not use any oral contraceptives were included into our study. All patients included into the study underwent a general otorhinolaryngology examination, followed by the application of acoustic rhinometry, the NOSE scale, the visual analog scale and the smell threshold test. The tests were performed between the 2nd and 5th days of the menstrual cycle. The same procedure was repeated in the 1st month following the use of oral contraceptive. Based on our study results, we identified no differences with regards to the results of the NOSE scale and visual analog scale. A decrease in total nasal volume was identified in acoustic rhinometry measurements; however, this decrease was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). We also identified decreases in the average results for the smell threshold tests, but these decreases were not statistically significant as well (p > 0.05). We believe that performing this study with larger patient groups and by including long-term results will increase its significance and value.