Echocardiography and systolic time-interval measurements were performed to assess left ventricular size and function in 15 women receiving oral contraceptives and in a control group. There was no significant difference in heart rate (78 +/- 9 verus 72 +/- 12 beats/min), blood pressure (116 +/- 8/72 +/- 7 versus 110 +/- 11/67 +/- 9 mmHg), left ventricular ejection time/preejection period (LVET/PEP) (0.31 +/- 0.05 versus 0.29 +/- 0.05), left ventricular internal dimension in diastrol (4.3 +/- 0.3 versus 4.3 +/- 0.5 cm) or systole (2.7 +/- 0.3 versus 2.6 +/- 0.4 cm), shortening fraction (0.37 +/- 0.05 versus 0.41 +/- 0.05), or mean normalized velocity of circumferential shortening (1.30 +/- 0.21 versus 1.31 +/- 0.23). Therefore, young, healthy women receiving oral contraceptives do not appear to be at increased risk with respect to abnormalities of ventricular volume or contraction.