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Human Antibodies 2019The menstrual cycle is the cycle of natural variations that occurs in the uterus and ovary as an essential part of making sexual reproduction possible. It is...
BACKGROUND
The menstrual cycle is the cycle of natural variations that occurs in the uterus and ovary as an essential part of making sexual reproduction possible. It is characterized by hormonal changes but the changes that occur in some active phase reactants (APR) parameters have not been fully elucidated.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to compare the serum albumin, ESR, and C-reactive protein levels in follicular and luteal phases of menstruation.
METHODS
A total of 90 healthy regularly menstruating women where used for this study. Forty-five of the study participants were in their follicular phase while the other 45 where in their luteal phase. Four milliliters of blood were withdrawn from each patient under aseptic condition and two milliliters was dispensed into EDTA container while the other two milliliters were dispensed into a plane container. The EDTA anticoagulated blood was used for ESR and full blood count while the serum from the plain tubes was used for analysis of C-reactive protein and Serum Albumin. Sysmex K-3 auto-analyser (Sysmex, Kobe Japan) was used for te determination of full blood count, the Westergren method was used for ESR estimation, Bromo Cresyl Green method was used for serum albumin and ELISA method was used for CRP determination. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 23.
RESULTS
This study showed a statistically significant difference in the ESR (p= 0.03) among menstruating women in the follicular and luteal phases of menstruation. Sociodemographic factors had no statistically significant effect on the APR parameters of menstruating women in the follicular and luteal phases of menstruation (p> 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between acute phase proteins of menstruating women in the follicular phase and luteal phases (p> 0.05). Also, age and marital status did not affect the acute phase proteins among menstruating women in the follicular phase and luteal phases (p> 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
There is need to generate data on menstrual disorders and their impact on women's health status, quality of life and social integration. It is vital that evaluation and treatment of menstrual complaints should be given a higher priority in primary care programs. There is need to invest in public enlightenment program to increase awareness in secondary schools to increase the level of awareness among adolescents as well as young females.
Topics: Acute-Phase Proteins; Adolescent; Adult; Female; Humans; Menstrual Cycle; Middle Aged; Nigeria; Ovary; Students; Universities; Young Adult
PubMed: 31156156
DOI: 10.3233/HAB-190386 -
Women & Health Jul 2016Evidence for menstrual cycle-related mood fluctuations in the general population of women has been mixed. While most previous research has relied on retrospective...
Evidence for menstrual cycle-related mood fluctuations in the general population of women has been mixed. While most previous research has relied on retrospective self-report and did not consider possible moderators, the present study aimed to examine cycle-related mood variations in daily life and possible moderating effects of anxiety and trait rumination. Fifty-nine women with natural menstrual cycles, aged 18-44 years, were examined between January and October, 2012. Mood components of calmness, positive valence, energetic-arousal, and irritability were assessed, using smartphones, by ambulatory assessment ten times per day on eight days across the cycle. The menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and late luteal phases were each covered by two consecutive assessment days. Moderators were assessed with questionnaires. Hierarchical linear models (HLMs) revealed higher calmness in the luteal and menstrual than in the follicular and ovulatory phase, while the menstrual cycle did not exhibit significant main effects on other mood components. Anxiety and ruminative self-reflection moderated the association between menstrual cycle and all mood variables. Specifically, highly anxious and ruminative women showed an increase in irritability, while women with lower anxiety and lower rumination were protected against mood deterioration toward the end of the cycle. Further research could examine whether reducing anxiety and rumination helps to prevent premenstrual syndrome-related syndromes.
Topics: Activities of Daily Living; Adolescent; Adult; Affect; Anxiety; Female; Germany; Humans; Luteal Phase; Menstrual Cycle; Premenstrual Syndrome; Thinking; Young Adult
PubMed: 26496479
DOI: 10.1080/03630242.2015.1101739 -
Progress in Brain Research 2020Success at an Olympic level can come down to the smallest of margins. However little research has been conducted into how the menstrual cycle affects elite athletes'...
Success at an Olympic level can come down to the smallest of margins. However little research has been conducted into how the menstrual cycle affects elite athletes' performance and decision making. This study uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods to explore this question. Physiological performance data was collected from eight elite athletes for 7 months and analyzed as a function of menstrual phase. The Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT) was used to test decision making and testing occurred twice in one cycle, during the early follicular phase and during the mid-luteal phase. Menstrual cycle phase was determined using menstrual cycle mapping and urine ovulation tests. In the qualitative part of this project, two elite athletes, two Olympic level athletes, and two coaches participated in semi-structured interviews. The study found that physiological performance was significantly better during the menses phase (MP) compared to the proliferative and secretory phases (PSP). There was variation in how elite athletes were individually affected however. Oral contraceptive users showed a greater performance change from MP to PSP suggesting that oral contraceptives may be detrimental to performance in some athletes. The results of the CGT showed that impulsivity is significantly affected by menstrual cycle phase. Risk taking, error rates and response times were not affected. The qualitative interviews revealed that elite athletes and their coaches understand little of the menstrual cycle. Despite this, there are preconceptions that it negatively effects performance during the menses phase. The findings suggest that the menstrual cycle can have a significant effect on an elite athlete's performance and this paper discusses how individuals can possibly improve aspects of physiological and psychological performance by understanding and monitoring their menstrual patterns.
Topics: Adult; Athletes; Athletic Performance; Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal; Decision Making; Female; Humans; Impulsive Behavior; Menstrual Cycle; Psychomotor Performance; Qualitative Research; Risk-Taking; Young Adult
PubMed: 32771127
DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.05.028 -
The American Journal of Clinical... Feb 1989The relationship of food intake and the human menstrual cycle has not been well quantified. In this study, voluntary energy and sucrose intake of seven women, aged 24-43...
The relationship of food intake and the human menstrual cycle has not been well quantified. In this study, voluntary energy and sucrose intake of seven women, aged 24-43 y, were evaluated by the weighed-intake method over one entire menstrual cycle. Portable tape recorders facilitated the recording of food intake. Although daily fluctuations of energy intake were large, analysis of variance showed intake during the luteal phase to be significantly greater than during the periovulatory and follicular phases (p less than 0.05). From 95% simultaneous (Bonferoni) confidence intervals, the estimate of difference was 283 kcal greater during the luteal phase than the periovulatory phase; the estimate of difference was 214 kcal greater during the luteal phase than during the follicular phase. No significant differences in energy intake were found among the menstrual, follicular, and periovulatory phases. No significant relationship was found between sucrose intake and the menstrual cycle.
Topics: Adult; Energy Intake; Feeding Behavior; Female; Follicular Phase; Humans; Luteal Phase; Menstrual Cycle; Reference Values; Sucrose
PubMed: 2916445
DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/49.2.252 -
Infection 1994The purpose of the study was to investigate the in vitro bactericidal function of blood polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) in various phases of the menstrual cycle from... (Review)
Review
The purpose of the study was to investigate the in vitro bactericidal function of blood polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) in various phases of the menstrual cycle from otherwise healthy women with recurrent cutaneous abscesses related to the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle compared with the bactericidal activity of PMN from healthy women with no inconveniences related to the menstrual cycle. The bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus 502A was investigated and when possible against the patients' own strain. No variation in bactericidal activity was observed during the different phases of the menstrual cycle. PMN from five women with recurrent abscesses related to the premenstrual phase tended to kill fewer S. aureus 502A than PMN from three women in the control group. The literature of immunological defence mechanisms and the occurrence of infections related to the menstrual cycle is reviewed.
Topics: Blood Bactericidal Activity; Case-Control Studies; Female; Humans; Infections; Leukocyte Count; Menstrual Cycle; Neutrophils; Recurrence
PubMed: 7698836
DOI: 10.1007/BF01715496 -
Bipolar Disorders Feb 2003A relationship between affective symptoms and menstrual cycle in women with bipolar disorder (BPD) has been suggested. This study investigates the influence of the... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
OBJECTIVES
A relationship between affective symptoms and menstrual cycle in women with bipolar disorder (BPD) has been suggested. This study investigates the influence of the menstrual cycle on mood in women with BPD who are taking medication, but not selected for menstrual abnormalities.
METHODS
Data from women with BPD (n = 17) consecutively enrolled into a ChronoRecord validation study were included in the current analysis. All women received medication for BPD, in addition, 35% received oral contraceptives (OC). Participants entered mood, menstrual data, psychiatric medications, and life events daily for a 3-month period using a computerized version (ChronoRecord) of an established paper based form for self-reporting (ChronoSheet).
RESULTS
The majority of women treated for BPD (65%) reported significant mood changes across the menstrual cycle. Long menstrual cycle was present in 59% of subjects, including those taking OC.
CONCLUSIONS
Women with BPD taking medication report a high rate of long menstrual cycles, and significant mood changes in relation to menstrual cycle phase.
Topics: Adult; Affective Symptoms; Bipolar Disorder; Female; Humans; Menstrual Cycle; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 12656938
DOI: 10.1034/j.1399-5618.2003.00010.x -
International Journal of Environmental... Mar 2021The aim of the present study was to investigate the association among lunar cycle, menstrual cycle onset, and subjective sleep quality. Menstrual cycle onset data from...
The aim of the present study was to investigate the association among lunar cycle, menstrual cycle onset, and subjective sleep quality. Menstrual cycle onset data from the six most recent menstrual cycles were obtained for 529 women (aged 25-39 years) using the smartphone app Luna Luna. We also collected questionnaire survey data on sleep quality from each participant. Overall, there was no association between the onset of menstrual cycle and lunar phase. Interestingly, the proportion of good sleepers with menstrual cycle beginning during the light period was significantly higher than that during the dark period, while the proportion of poor sleepers with menstrual cycle beginning during the dark period was significantly higher than that during the light period. When participants were categorized by the combination of lunar phases (light, dark, neutral periods) in the two most recent menstrual cycle onsets, the "both dark period" group and the "other (light and dark) period" group showed the lowest proportion of good sleepers. Menstrual cycle onset in the dark period was associated with a deterioration in subsequent subjective sleep quality, which was more apparent with consecutive onsets in the dark period or at a rapidly changing lunar phase.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Menstrual Cycle; Menstruation; Moon; Reproduction; Sleep
PubMed: 33801068
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18063245 -
Archives of Sexual Behavior Dec 1991Sexual arousability of women has not been consistently found to vary significantly over phases of the menstrual cycle. We studied changes in the temperature of a labium... (Clinical Trial)
Clinical Trial
Sexual arousability of women has not been consistently found to vary significantly over phases of the menstrual cycle. We studied changes in the temperature of a labium minus and subjective sexual and genital arousal recorded on semantic scales while watching erotic video in 12 women with natural menstrual cycles and 12 women using low-dose estrogen oral contraceptive pills. Natural cycle phase was ascertained by blood progesterone. Subjects were tested twice, with an interval of about 2 weeks. Half of each group had their first test during their luteal phase, the others during their follicular phase. Women tested for the first time in their follicular phase were sexually more aroused than women tested for the first time during their luteal phase. This was true for both objective (i.e., a labium minus change in temperature) and subjective genital arousal. When these women were retested in their alternative phase of the menstrual cycle, those who were then follicular did not score higher than those who were then luteal. On the contrary, the latter group scored as high as when tested during their follicular phase. This phenomenon was observed both in women with and without oral contraception. The nature of the menstrual phase (i.e., natural or pill-induced) seems irrelevant in this respect. Sexual arousal achieved during the first session appeared to be correlated with an increase in desire for making love during the rest of the day and night. Only 1 of 12 women tested during their luteal phase indicated an increase in desire to make love, while 6 of 12 women tested during their follicular phase indicated an increase. Apparently the menstrual cycle phase during the first test determines the immediate response and indirectly affects the response during the second test approximately 10 days later. In a random block design the difference in sexual response between follicular and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle disappears.
Topics: Adult; Arousal; Body Temperature; Contraceptives, Oral; Erotica; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Female; Genitalia, Female; Humans; Menstrual Cycle; Semantic Differential; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 1768223
DOI: 10.1007/BF01550955 -
PloS One 2013Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is characterized by a cluster of psychological and somatic symptoms during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle that disappear after...
BACKGROUND
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is characterized by a cluster of psychological and somatic symptoms during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle that disappear after the onset of menses. Behavioral differences in emotional and cognitive processing have been reported in women with PMS, and it is of particular interest whether PMS affects the parallel execution of emotional and cognitive processing. Related to this is the question of how the performance of women with PMS relates to stress levels compared to women without PMS. Cortisol has been shown to affect emotional processing in general and it has also been shown that women with severe PMS have a particular cortisol profile.
METHODS
We measured performance in an emotional conflict task and stress levels in women with PMS (n = 15) and women without PMS (n = 15) throughout their menstrual cycle.
RESULTS
We found a significant increase (p = 0.001) in the mean reaction time for resolving emotional conflict from the follicular to the luteal cycle phase in all subjects. Only women with PMS demonstrated an increase in physiological and subjective stress measures during the luteal menstrual cycle phase.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that the menstrual cycle modulates the integration of emotional and cognitive processing in all women. Preliminary data are supportive of the secondary hypothesis that stress levels are mediated by the menstrual cycle phase only in women with PMS. The presented evidence for menstrual cycle-specific differences in integrating emotional and cognitive information highlights the importance of controlling for menstrual cycle phase in studies that aim to elucidate the interplay of emotion and cognition.
Topics: Adult; Affective Symptoms; Conflict, Psychological; Emotions; Female; Follicular Phase; Humans; Luteal Phase; Menstrual Cycle; Premenstrual Syndrome; Psychomotor Performance; Stress, Physiological; Young Adult
PubMed: 23637739
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059780 -
International Journal of Sports... Apr 2023Exercise has transient effects on the immune system that could influence infection risk and tissue recovery after exercise. Little is known about how the menstrual cycle...
PURPOSE
Exercise has transient effects on the immune system that could influence infection risk and tissue recovery after exercise. Little is known about how the menstrual cycle interacts with the immune responses to acute exercise. This exploratory study sought to evaluate the effect of menstrual-cycle phase on peripheral blood mononuclear cell counts before and immediately after a bout of intense aerobic exercise.
METHODS
Seven naturally menstruating women (age: 27 [3] y) completed three 5-km cycling time trials coinciding with the early-follicular, late-follicular, and mid-luteal stage, confirmed by hormonal measurement. Venous blood samples were taken and examined for the presence of immune cell types using flow cytometry.
RESULTS
Reductions in circulating CCR7+CD45RA+ naïve CD4+ T cells, CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells, and CD56+CD57+ natural killer cells observed during the early-follicular phase were attenuated when exercise was performed during the late-follicular phase. Similarly, reductions in circulating CD56+CD57+ natural killer cells and CD14+TLR4+ monocytes following exercise in the early-follicular phase were abolished when exercise was performed in the midluteal phase.
CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary findings indicate that the effect of acute high-intensity exercise on immune-cell mobilization and activation varies across the menstrual cycle, potentially impacting the anti-inflammatory effects of regulatory T cells and the cell-mediated effects of both natural killer CD57+ cells and monocytes expressing TLR4.
Topics: Female; Humans; Adult; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Toll-Like Receptor 4; Menstrual Cycle; Luteal Phase; Immunity
PubMed: 36780902
DOI: 10.1123/ijspp.2022-0130