-
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology... Aug 2021While age-related changes in menstrual cycle length are well known, it is unclear whether anti-Müllerian (AMH) or other ovarian reserve biomarkers have a direct...
CONTEXT
While age-related changes in menstrual cycle length are well known, it is unclear whether anti-Müllerian (AMH) or other ovarian reserve biomarkers have a direct association with cycle length.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the association between biomarkers of ovarian reserve and menstrual cycle length.
METHODS
Secondary analysis using data from time to conceive (TTC), a prospective time to pregnancy cohort study. The age-independent association between cycle length and biomarkers of ovarian reserve was analyzed using linear mixed and marginal models. Study participants were TTC-enrolled women aged 30-44 years with no history of infertility who were attempting to conceive for <3 months were enrolled. Serum AMH, follicle-stimulating hormone, and inhibin B levels were measured on cycle day 2, 3, or 4. Participants recorded daily menstrual cycle data for ≤4 months. The primary outcome was menstrual cycle length; follicular and luteal phase lengths were secondary outcomes.
RESULTS
Multivariable analysis included 1880 cycles from 632 women. Compared with AMH levels of 1.6 to 3.4 ng/mL, women with AMH <1.6 ng/mL had cycles and follicular phases that were 0.98 (95% CI -1.46, -0.50) and 1.58 days shorter (95% CI -2.53, -0.63), respectively, while women with AMH >8 ng/mL had cycles that were 2.15 days longer (95% CI 1.46, 2.83), follicular phases that were 2 days longer (95% CI 0.77, 3.24), and luteal phases that were 1.80 days longer (95% CI 0.71, 2.88).
CONCLUSION
Increasing AMH levels are associated with longer menstrual cycles due to both a lengthening of the follicular and the luteal phase independent of age.
Topics: Adult; Anti-Mullerian Hormone; Biomarkers; Female; Follicle Stimulating Hormone; Humans; Inhibins; Menstrual Cycle; Ovarian Reserve; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 33772306
DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgab204 -
Impact of menstrual cycle phase and oral contraceptives on sleep and overnight memory consolidation.Journal of Sleep Research Aug 2021Sleep spindles benefit declarative memory consolidation and are considered to be a biological marker for general cognitive abilities. However, the impact of sexual...
Sleep spindles benefit declarative memory consolidation and are considered to be a biological marker for general cognitive abilities. However, the impact of sexual hormones and hormonal oral contraceptives (OCs) on these relationships are less clear. Thus, we here investigated the influence of endogenous progesterone levels of naturally cycling women and women using OCs on nocturnal sleep and overnight memory consolidation. Nineteen healthy women using OCs (M = 21.4, SD = 2.1 years) were compared to 43 healthy women with a natural menstrual cycle (follicular phase: n = 16, M = 21.4, SD = 3.1 years; luteal phase: n = 27, M = 22.5, SD = 3.6 years). Sleep spindle density and salivary progesterone were measured during an adaptation and an experimental night. A word pair association task preceding the experimental night followed by two recalls (pre-sleep and post-sleep) was performed to test declarative memory performance. We found that memory performance improved overnight in all women. Interestingly, women using OCs (characterized by a low endogenous progesterone level but with very potent synthetic progestins) and naturally cycling women during the luteal phase (characterized by a high endogenous progesterone level) had a higher fast sleep spindle density compared to naturally cycling women during the follicular phase (characterized by a low endogenous progesterone level). Furthermore, we observed a positive correlation between endogenous progesterone level and fast spindle density in women during the luteal phase. Results suggest that the use of OCs and the menstrual cycle phase affects sleep spindles and therefore should be considered in further studies investigating sleep spindles and cognitive performance.
Topics: Contraceptives, Oral; Female; Humans; Memory Consolidation; Menstrual Cycle; Mental Recall; Sleep; Young Adult
PubMed: 33348471
DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13239 -
European Journal of Applied Physiology Dec 2022Menstrual cycle phase affects resting hepcidin levels, but such effects on the hepcidin response to exercise are still unclear. Thus, we investigated the hepcidin...
PURPOSE
Menstrual cycle phase affects resting hepcidin levels, but such effects on the hepcidin response to exercise are still unclear. Thus, we investigated the hepcidin response to running during three different menstrual cycle phases.
METHODS
Twenty-one endurance-trained eumenorrheic women performed three identical interval running protocols during the early-follicular phase (EFP), late-follicular phase (LFP), and mid-luteal phase (MLP). The protocol consisted of 8 × 3 min bouts at 85% of the maximal aerobic speed, with 90-s recovery. Blood samples were collected pre-exercise and at 0 h, 3 h and 24 h post-exercise.
RESULTS
Data presented as mean ± SD. Ferritin were lower in the EFP than the LFP (34.82 ± 16.44 vs 40.90 ± 23.91 ng/ml, p = 0.003), while iron and transferrin saturation were lower during the EFP (58.04 ± 19.70 µg/dl, 14.71 ± 5.47%) compared to the LFP (88.67 ± 36.38 µg/dl, 22.22 ± 9.54%; p < 0.001) and the MLP (80.20 ± 42.05 µg/dl, 19.87 ± 10.37%; p = 0.024 and p = 0.045, respectively). Hepcidin was not affected by menstrual cycle (p = 0.052) or menstrual cycle*time interaction (p = 0.075). However, when comparing hepcidin at 3 h post-exercise, a moderate and meaningful effect size showed that hepcidin was higher in the LFP compared to the EFP (3.01 ± 4.16 vs 1.26 ± 1.25 nMol/l; d = 0.57, CI = 0.07-1.08). No effect of time on hepcidin during the EFP was found either (p = 0.426).
CONCLUSION
The decrease in iron, ferritin and TSAT levels during the EFP may mislead the determination of iron status in eumenorrheic athletes. However, although the hepcidin response to exercise appears to be reduced in the EFP, it shows no clear differences between the phases of the menstrual cycle (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04458662).
Topics: Female; Humans; Hepcidins; Menstrual Cycle; Running; Ferritins; Iron; Homeostasis
PubMed: 36129579
DOI: 10.1007/s00421-022-05048-5 -
European Journal of Sport Science May 2022This review explores the effects of oestrogen and progesterone fluctuations across the menstrual cycle on fluid and electrolyte balance. The review aims to provide... (Review)
Review
This review explores the effects of oestrogen and progesterone fluctuations across the menstrual cycle on fluid and electrolyte balance. The review aims to provide information on this topic for the exercising female but also for researchers working in this field. Beginning with a basic introduction to fluid and electrolyte balance, the review goes on to describe how oestrogen and progesterone have independent and integrated roles to play in the regulation of fluid and electrolyte balance. Despite evidence that oestrogen can influence the osmotic threshold for arginine vasopressin release, and that progesterone can influence aldosterone production, these actions do not appear to influence fluid retention, plasma volume changes at rest and during exercise, or electrolyte losses. However, the large inter-individual variations in hormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle may mean that specific individuals with high fluctuations could experience disturbances in their fluid and electrolyte balance. During phases of oestrogen dominance (e.g. late-follicular phase) heat dissipation is promoted, while progesterone dominance (e.g. mid-luteal phase) promotes heat conservation with overall higher basal body temperature. However, these responses do not consistently lead to any change in observed sweat rates, heat-stress, or dehydration during exercise. Finally, the literature does not support any difference in fluid retention during post-exercise rehydration periods conducted at different menstrual cycle phases. Although these mean responses largely reveal no effects on fluid and electrolyte balance, further research is required particularly in those individuals who experience high hormonal fluctuations, and greater exploration of oestrogen to progesterone interactions is warranted.
Topics: Estrogens; Female; Humans; Luteal Phase; Menstrual Cycle; Progesterone; Water-Electrolyte Balance
PubMed: 34121620
DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2021.1939428 -
Nature Communications Oct 2023Natural variability in menstrual cycle length, coupled with rapid changes in endometrial gene expression, makes it difficult to accurately define and compare different...
Natural variability in menstrual cycle length, coupled with rapid changes in endometrial gene expression, makes it difficult to accurately define and compare different stages of the endometrial cycle. Here we develop and validate a method for precisely determining endometrial cycle stage based on global gene expression. Our 'molecular staging model' reveals significant and remarkably synchronised daily changes in expression for over 3400 endometrial genes throughout the cycle, with the most dramatic changes occurring during the secretory phase. Our study significantly extends existing data on the endometrial transcriptome, and for the first time enables identification of differentially expressed endometrial genes with increasing age and different ethnicities. It also allows reinterpretation of all endometrial RNA-seq and array data that has been published to date. Our molecular staging model will significantly advance understanding of endometrial-related disorders that affect nearly all women at some stage of their lives, such as heavy menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and recurrent implantation failure.
Topics: Female; Humans; Endometrium; Menstrual Cycle; Uterine Diseases; Transcriptome; Biopsy
PubMed: 37798294
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41979-z -
Channels (Austin, Tex.) Dec 2023Sex hormones and the reproductive cycle (estrus in rodents and menstrual in humans) have a known impact on arterial function. In spite of this, sex hormones and the... (Review)
Review
Sex hormones and the reproductive cycle (estrus in rodents and menstrual in humans) have a known impact on arterial function. In spite of this, sex hormones and the estrus/menstrual cycle are often neglected experimental factors in vascular basic preclinical scientific research. Recent research by our own laboratory indicates that cyclical changes in serum concentrations of sex -hormones across the rat estrus cycle, primary estradiol, have significant consequences for the subcellular trafficking and function of K. Vascular potassium channels, including K, are essential components of vascular reactivity. Our study represents a small part of a growing field of literature aimed at determining the role of sex hormones in regulating arterial ion channel function. This review covers key findings describing the current understanding of sex hormone regulation of vascular potassium channels, with a focus on K channels. Further, we highlight areas of research where the estrus cycle should be considered in future studies to determine the consequences of physiological oscillations in concentrations of sex hormones on vascular potassium channel function.
Topics: Female; Humans; Rats; Animals; Progesterone; Potassium Channels; Gonadal Steroid Hormones; Estradiol; Menstrual Cycle
PubMed: 37243715
DOI: 10.1080/19336950.2023.2217637 -
Fertility and Sterility Apr 2024To study whether the menstrual cycle has a circaseptan (7 days) rhythm and whether it is associated with the lunar cycle (also defined as the synodic month, it is the...
OBJECTIVE
To study whether the menstrual cycle has a circaseptan (7 days) rhythm and whether it is associated with the lunar cycle (also defined as the synodic month, it is the cycle of the phases of the Moon as seen from Earth, averaging 29.5 days in length).
DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.
SUBJECTS
A total of 35,940 European and North American women aged 18-40 years.
EXPOSURE
Data were collected in real-life conditions.
INTERVENTION
No intervention was performed.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
The onset of menstruation was assessed in prospectively measured menstrual cycles (311,064 cycles) over 3 full years (2019-2021). Associations were calculated between the onset of menstruation and the day of the week, and between the onset of menstruation and the lunar phase.
RESULTS
In this large data set, a circaseptan (7-day) rhythmicity of menstruation was observed, with a peak (acrophase) of menstrual onset on Thursdays and Fridays. This circaseptan rhythm was observed in every age group, in every phase of the lunar cycle, and in all seasons. This feature was most pronounced for cycle durations between 27 and 29 days. In winter, the circaseptan rhythm was found in cycles of 27-29 days, but not in other cycle lengths. A circalunar rhythm was also statistically significant, but not as clearly defined as the circaseptan rhythm. The peak (acrophase) of the circalunar rhythm of menstrual onset varied according to the season. In addition, there was a small but statistically significant interaction between the circaseptan rhythm and the lunar cycle.
CONCLUSION
Although relatively small in amplitude, the weekly rhythm of menstruation was statistically significant. Menstruation occurs more often on Thursdays and Fridays than on other days of the week. This is particularly true for women whose cycles last between 27 and 29 days. Circalunar rhythmicity was also statistically significant. However, it is less pronounced than the weekly rhythm.
Topics: Female; Humans; Moon; Cross-Sectional Studies; Menstrual Cycle; Menstruation; Seasons; Circadian Rhythm
PubMed: 38206269
DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2023.12.009 -
Journal of Ovarian Research Jul 2022Numerous studies have indicated that the level of the Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), one of the main markers for the ovarian reserve, does not fluctuate throughout a... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
Numerous studies have indicated that the level of the Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), one of the main markers for the ovarian reserve, does not fluctuate throughout a menstrual cycle, while some studies have rejected this finding. The purpose of this systematic and meta-analysis study is to consensus on all contradictory studies that have measured AMH levels throughout the menstrual cycle and to investigate the exact extent of AMH variation in a cycle.
METHODS
The protocol for this meta-analysis was registered at PROSPERO before data extraction. Relevant studies were identified by systematic search in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar with no limitation on publication date. Longitudinal studies which have evaluated AMH levels in the follicular and luteal phases of an unstimulated (natural) menstrual cycle in healthy women without endocrinology or ovarian disorders were included. We used the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for assessing the quality of studies found eligible for meta-analysis.
RESULTS
A total of 11 studies involving 733 women with regular menstrual cycles were included. The results showed that the AMH level in the follicular phase was significantly higher than in the luteal phase (95% Cl = 0.11 [0.01 to 0.21]; p < 0.05) and it varies about 11.5% from the luteal phase. The analysis of studies which had also examined the ovulatory phase (n = 380) showed that the serum levels of AMH in the ovulatory phase (about 2.02 ng/ml) did not significantly vary compared to follicular (95% Cl = 0.11 [-0.10 to 0.33]; p = 0.30) and luteal (95% Cl = 0.06 [-0.08 to 0.20]; p = 0.43) phases.
CONCLUSIONS
According to the results of this study, AMH levels differ between follicular and luteal phases which might be due to ovarian response to the gonadotropins. It seems the phase of AMH measurement needs to be considered for interpretation of the serum AMH test.
Topics: Anti-Mullerian Hormone; Female; Follicular Phase; Humans; Luteal Phase; Menstrual Cycle; Ovarian Reserve; Transforming Growth Factor beta
PubMed: 35778760
DOI: 10.1186/s13048-022-01006-z -
Clinical Psychology Review Nov 2011The 2:1 female-to-male sex difference in the prevalence of panic disorder (PD) suggests that there is a sex-specific vulnerability involved in the etiology and/or... (Review)
Review
The 2:1 female-to-male sex difference in the prevalence of panic disorder (PD) suggests that there is a sex-specific vulnerability involved in the etiology and/or maintenance of this disorder. The purpose of this paper is to present a new conceptual model, which emphasizes the interaction between a cognitive vulnerability for PD, anxiety sensitivity, and the effects of progesterone and its metabolite, allopregnanolone, on behavioral and physiological responses to stress during the premenstrual phase. This interaction is proposed to be a potential sex-specific pathway that may initiate and/or maintain panic and anxiety symptoms in women. This review paper presents preliminary evidence from both the human and animal literatures to support this new model. Specific topics reviewed include: psychopathology related to the menstrual cycle, anxiety sensitivity and its relationship to the menstrual cycle, PMS, and PMDD, anxiety-modulating effects of progesterone and its neuroactive metabolite, allopregnanolone, and how results from the neuroendocrine literature relate to psychopathology or symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle.
Topics: Anxiety; Brain; Female; Humans; Menstrual Cycle; Models, Psychological; Neurosecretory Systems; Neurotransmitter Agents; Panic Disorder; Premenstrual Syndrome
PubMed: 21855828
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2011.07.006 -
Experimental Physiology Jan 2020What is the central question of this study? What are the effects of the menstrual (early follicular and mid-luteal) or monophasic oral contraceptive (inactive- and...
NEW FINDINGS
What is the central question of this study? What are the effects of the menstrual (early follicular and mid-luteal) or monophasic oral contraceptive (inactive- and active-pill) cycle phases on vascular reperfusion of lower limb microvasculature in healthy, active women using the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) vascular occlusion test (VOT) technique? What is the main finding and its importance? We demonstrated that vascular responsiveness in the lower limb microvasculature remained unchanged between the early follicular and mid-luteal phases of the menstrual cycle and inactive- and active-pill phases of the oral contraceptive cycle. These data support that controlling for the cycle phases, within the specific times evaluated in this study, might not be necessary when assessing NIRS-VOT reperfusion rates.
ABSTRACT
The objective was to examine whether the menstrual or monophasic oral contraceptive cycle phases affect microvascular responsiveness of the lower limb in healthy, active women. During the follicular or inactive-pill phase and the luteal or active-pill phase of the menstrual or oral contraceptive cycle, respectively, 15 non-oral contraceptive users (mean ± SD; 27 ± 6 years of age) and 15 monophasic oral contraceptive users (24 ± 4 years of age) underwent a lower-limb vascular occlusion test (5 min baseline, 5 min occlusion and 8 min post cuff release). Menstrual cycle phases were verified using an ovulation test. Vascular responsiveness was assessed by calculating the near-infrared spectroscopy-derived muscle oxygen saturation (StO ) reperfusion slope (slope 2 StO ) and the post occlusion StO area under the curve (StO ) of the tibialis anterior muscle. There were no differences in the reperfusion slope (as a percentage per second; follicular, 1.18 ± 0.48; luteal, 1.05 ± 0.48, inactive-pill, 0.95 ± 0.23; and active-pill, 0.87 ± 0.36; P = 0.09) and area under the curve (as a product of the percentage and seconds; follicular, 1067 ± 562; luteal, 918 ± 414, inactive-pill, 945 ± 702; and active-pill, 750 ± 519; P = 0.09) between the phases of the menstrual or oral contraceptive cycle, regardless of pill generation. The duration of oral contraceptive use was not associated with changes in slope 2 StO (r = 0.02, P = 0.94) or StO (r = -0.34, P = 0.22) between cycle phases. In conclusion, vascular responsiveness remained unchanged between the early follicular and mid-luteal phases of the menstrual cycle and the inactive-pill and active-pill phases of the oral contraceptive cycle.
Topics: Adult; Constriction; Contraceptives, Oral; Female; Follicular Phase; Humans; Lower Extremity; Luteal Phase; Menstrual Cycle; Microvessels; Muscle, Skeletal; Reperfusion; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Young Adult
PubMed: 31625647
DOI: 10.1113/EP088135