In Search of Third Bodies Around Five Short Period Contact Binaries - TIC 69838619, TIC 8989778, TIC 421110675, V582 Lyr and LINEAR 16694484.

This study investigates the first photometric and period variation studies of three short-period totally eclipsing binary systems along with period variation studies of two other such systems, with an aim to identify the presence of third bodies. The photometric analysis revealed the over-contact and deep-contact nature of the systems along with a significant third light contribution. The study of period variations in five objects revealed a secular decrease in period for four systems and a secular increase for one system. To comprehend the evolution of binary systems and the role of third bodies around them, a catalogue of more than ninety such systems and their derived parameters from the literature has been compiled. A possible correlation between their contact configuration and observed period variations for relative log J$_{rel}$ and the characteristic plot between log M versus log R is discussed.