Effect of Laboratory Mental Stressors on Cardiovascular Reactivity in Young Women During Different Phases of Menstrual Cycle: An Observational Study (original) (raw)
Related papers
Cardiovascular Reactivity to Acute Mental Stress in Post Ovulatory Females
Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 2021
Background: Female hormones fluctuate with the phases of menstrual cycle. Estrogen, which has attributes in cardio-protection, is secreted less during luteal phase. In post-ovulatory phase, days 1-2 before menstruation has minimal female hormone influence due to less secretion. Mental stress subjected at this phase might enhance sympathetic activation which in long run may precipitate cardiovascular diseases. Hence, to explore the autonomic activity to mental stress during this phase of menstrual cycle the study was undertaken.Methods: Thirty apparently healthy young postovulatory female medical students of B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Nepal of age 19.93 (± 0.91) years with BMI of 20.70 kg/m2 (± 2.49) kg/m2 were recruited for the present study. Their short term heart rate variability (HRV) of 5 min was recorded during rest at sitting position. Then each subject was given a mental stress (nine questions selected from MENSA workout questionnaire) for 5 min. During the s...
Background: Autonomic function tests based on cardiovascular responses to stressors are simple and non-invasive methods to help the clinician to make a proper assessment of the state of autonomic nervous system so as to determine an appropriate line of treatment for patients considering the impact of hormonal changes in females during menstrual cycle. Aims and Objectives: To study cardiovascular response to stress in menstrual and follicular phases of menstrual cycle and to analyze the impact of menstrual phase on cardiovascular response to stress. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at Topiwala National Medical College, Mumbai on 30 normal healthy females between the age group of 18 and 26 years in menstrual and follicular phases with 24-32 days menstrual cycle. The tests performed were: Deep breathing test (expiration: inspiration [E:I] index), orthostatic tolerance test (postural index), Valsalva maneuver, isometric handgrip test (IHG), and cold pressor test (CPT). Results: Paired t-test was used for analysis. Values were expressed as a mean ± standard deviation. E:I index, postural index and Valsalva ratio were greater in follicular phase than in menstrual phase (P < 0.05). Rise in systolic and diastolic blood pressure due to IHG and CPT was greater in menstrual phase than in follicular phase (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Results indicated that there was increased cardiovascular response to stress during menstrual phase as compared to follicular phase.
Hemodynamic stress responses in men and women examined as a function of female menstrual cycle phase
International Journal of Psychophysiology, 1994
Fifteen men and 11 normally ovulating women were each tested twice for cardiovascular stress reactivity, cognitive/behavioral performance, and mood during a variety of stressors. Each woman was tested during both the follicular and luteal phase of her menstrual cycle, with men matched for number of days between testing. Although the genders did not differ in blood pressure reactivity during either phase of the cycle, during both phases of the menstrual cycle women exhibited greater heart rate reactivity and tended towards greater cardiac index increases, greater pre-ejection period decreases, and lesser vascular tone relative to men. Additionally, the menstrual cycle was observed to influence gender differences in stroke volume index responses. Specifically, stroke volume index responses for women were significantly greater in their luteal versus follicular phase resulting in a marginally significant pattern whereby women's stroke volume index responses were greater than men's luteally but less than men's follicularly. Men and women also differed in cognitive performance and mood assessment during the tasks, but the majority of these differences were unaffected by the menstrual cycle.
International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences
Background: Premenstrual syndrome is a set of physical, behavioural or emotional symptoms that some women experience on regular basis in relation to menstruation. Premenstrual symptoms have been associated with perceived stress, and perceived stress is the strongest predictor of premenstrual syndrome. The purpose of this study was to investigate the premenstrual stress and its effect on cardiovascular system and sensorimotor association and processing capability of central nervous system.Methods: The present study was done in 60 healthy female volunteers in age group of 18-22 years. We measured following parameters during premenstrual and postmenstrual phases- pulse rate, blood pressure, weight, auditory and visual reaction time and perceived stress with the help of Cohen’s perceived stress scale.Results: The study revealed that significant increase was observed in perceived stress, pulse rate, blood pressure, weight, auditory reaction time (ART), and visual reaction time (VRT) duri...
Cognitive performance and Heart rate variability: The influence of menstrual cycle in young subjects
IP Innovative Publication Pvt. Ltd. , 2020
Menstrual cycle characterized by various dynamic alterations in sex steroidal hormones not only alters the reproductive organs but also various systemic organs and hence higher functions are one among them. This study is an attempt to determine the influence of various hormones on cognitive function using short term heart rate variability analysis in different phases of menstrual cycle. Materials and Methods: Thirty participants were subjected for the baseline recording of HRV and psychomotor vigilance test and short term memory test along with HRV recording in three subsequent numbers of times to study variations in three different phases of menstrual cycle . Both time domain and frequency domain parameters were studied during resting state and while performing psychomotor vigilance test and short term memory test. Results: The time domain and frequency domain parameters on comparison with resting state to during psychomotor vigilance test and short term memory test parameters were statistically insignificant in all three phases recorded. Unlikely on comparison of heart rate variability parameters both times domain and frequency domain values of RRI, RMSSD and LF (nu) values were statistically significant across the different phases suggesting upper hand of sympathetic tone. Conclusion: The present study indicated increased sympathetic discharge during follicular phase on comparison to luteal and menstrual phase. The results also indicated a change in cognitive functioning during different phases due to hormonal variations.
IP innovative publication pvt ltd, 2020
Heart Rate Variability analysis has gained much importance in recent years, as a technique employed to explore the activity of autonomic nervous system (ANS), and as an important early marker for identifying different pathological conditions. Autonomic nervous activities fluctuate during the menstrual cycle. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the present study was to compare and evaluate the changes in the ANS activity measured by the frequency domain analysis during different phases of menstrual cycle. Materials and Methods: The subjects consisted of 50 healthy adult females aged 22-40 years who had regular menstrual cycles. The electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings were taken during the different phases of the menstrual cycle. Heart rate variability (HRV) was analyzed by means of two main frequency components that is the low frequency (LF) and the high frequency (HF) components using appropriate software. Heart rate (HR) and blood pr essure (BP) were also recorded. Results: In the frequency domain analysis, the low frequency component (LF) was significantly higher (p<0.01) during the luteal phase and the high frequency component (HF) was significantly higher (p<0.01) in follicular phase. The LF/HF ratio was significantly greater in (p<0.01) the luteal phase compared to follicular and menstrual phases (p<0.001). Changes in Heart rate (HR) were maximum in the luteal phase and minimum in the follicular phase. Blood pressure (BP) did not show any significant change during different phases of menstrual cycle.
Influence of the menstrual cycle on nonlinear properties of heart rate variability in young women
AJP: Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 2009
This study was designed to assess the changes in nonlinear properties of heart rate variability 25 (HRV) during the menstrual cycle by means of complexity measures, including sample 26 entropy (SampEn) and correlation dimension (CD), and explore probable physiological 27 interpretations for them. In 16 healthy women (mean age 23.8 ± 2.7 yr), complexity measures 28 along with spectral components of HRV (sympatho-vagal markers) were analyzed over 1,500 29 R-R intervals recorded during both the follicular phase (day 11.9 ± 1.4) and the luteal phase 30 (day 22.0 ±1.4) of each woman's menstrual cycle. Simultaneously, serum ovarian hormone 31 (estrodiol-17 and progesterone) and thyroid-related hormone (free triiodothyronine (FT3), 32 free thyroxine (FT4) and TSH) concentrations were measured. With regard to HRV measures, 33 SampEn, CD and the high-frequency (HF) components decreased from the follicular phase to 34 the luteal phase, while the normalized low-frequency (LF) components, the LF/HF ratio, as 35 well as resting HR increased. Concerning hormone levels, while progesterone was increased, 36 the other hormones concentrations were unchanged. Furthermore, across the menstrual cycle, 37 both SampEn and CD were well-correlated with the spectral indexes and FT4 concentrations, 38 and SampEn also showed significant correlations with the ratio of estrodiol-17 to 39 progesterone concentrations. These results suggest that the nonlinear properties in HRV are 40 altered during the regular menstrual cycle and that the autonomic nervous system, ovarian 41 hormone balance and FT4 may be involved in nonlinear heart rate control in healthy women. 42 All of these factors may enrich the physiological meanings of the complexity measures. 43 KEY WORDS autonomic nervous system; ovarian hormones; thyroid hormones; complexity 44 measures 45 3 Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the periodic and nonperiodic variations in the beat 46 intervals or, correspondingly, in the instantaneous HR (52, 69). Because of the observation 47 that HR fluctuation is related to various cardiovascular disorders, analyzing HRV has become 48 a widely used tool for assessing the regulation of heart rate behavior (62). Traditional HRV 49 analysis methods based on the assumptions of linear models are suitable for periodic 50 components in heart rate behavior and have made progress in noninvasively detecting the 51 state of cardiac autonomic control (34, 62, 70). In particular, the high frequency (HF, 52 0.15-0.4Hz) band in the frequency-domain analysis has been regarded as the marker of vagal 53 activity, and the low frequency (LF, 0.04-0.15Hz) band has been regarded as the marker of 54 sympatho-vagal interaction, especially sympathetic activity (3, 52, 62). Consequently, the 55 LF/HF ratio represents the sympatho-vagal balance (62). However, the findings that the 56 largest proportion of HRV is irregular and nonperiodic and that the nature of cardiac control 57 network is nonlinear (68) challenge the conventional linear analysis methods and promote the 58 development of a nonlinear HRV analysis. The nonlinear methods differ from the linear 59
Effects of Menstrual Cycle on Cardiac Autonomic Innervation As Assessed By Heart Rate Variability
Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology, 2001
The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of menstrual cycle on cardiac autonomic function parameters in young healthy women by means of heart rate variability (HRV). Methods: Forty-three nonobese regularly cycling women (age 29 ? 6, range 20-38) were enrolled. Recordings for HRV analysis were obtained during the two phases of the menstrual cycle when the estrogen and progesterone levels peaked (follicular phase 11 t 1 days and luteal phase 21 t 1 days from the start of bleeding). Power spectral analysis of HRV was performed to calculate the low frequency peak (LF, 0.04-0.15 Hz), high frequency peak (HF, 0.15-0.40 Hz), LF in normalized unit (LF nu), HF in normalized unit (HF nu), and LF/HF ratio during the two phases of menstrual cycle. Results: The heart rates, LF and HF, were similar in both phases (P > 0.05). A significant increase was noted in the LF NU in the luteal phase compared to follicular phase of the menstrual cycle (P = 0.0141, whereas a tendency for increased HF NU was observed in the follicular phase (P = 0.053). Furthermore, LF/HF ratio was significantly higher in the luteal phase compared to follicular phase (2.1 t 1.5 vs 1.6 ? 0.9, P = 0.002), suggesting increased sympathetic activity in the luteal phase. Conclusion: We concluded that regulation of autonomic tone is modified during menstrual cycle. The alteration in the balance of ovarian hormones might be responsible for these changes in the heart rate variability; menstrual cycle; autonomic nervous system cardiac autonomic innervation.