Recent studies suggest that the menstrual cycle alters sympathetic neural responses to orthostatic stress in young, eumenorrheic women. The purpose of the present study was to determine if oral contraceptives (OC) influence sympathetic neural activation during an orthostatic challenge. Based on evidence that sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is increased during the "low hormone" (LH) phase (i.e., placebo pills) in women taking OC, we hypothesized an augmented MSNA response to orthostatic stress during the LH phase. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate (HR) were recorded during progressive lower body negative pressure (LBNP; -5, -10, -15, -20, -30, and -40 mmHg; 3 min per stage) in 12 healthy women taking OC (age 22 ± 1 years). Sympathetic BRS was assessed by examining relations between spontaneous fluctuations of diastolic arterial pressure and MSNA. Subjects were examined twice, once during the LH phase and once approximately 3 weeks after LH during the "high hormone" (HH) phase (randomized order). Plasma estradiol (43 ± 7 vs. 28 ± 4 pg/ml) and progesterone (1.3 ± 0.1 vs. 1.5 ± 0.2 ng/ml) were not different between LH and HH phases. Resting MSNA (10 ± 2 vs. 13 ± 2 bursts/min), MAP (85 ± 3 vs. 84 ± 3 mmHg), and HR (62 ± 2 vs. 65 ± 3 beats/min) were not different between phases. MSNA and HR increased during progressive LBNP (p < 0.001), and these increases were similar between phases. Progressive LBNP did not change MAP during either phase. Sympathetic BRS increased during progressive LBNP, but these responses were not different between LH and HH phases. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that oral contraceptives do not alter cardiovascular and sympathetic neural responses to an orthostatic challenge in young, healthy women.