The effects of menstrual cycle on cardiovascular responses to exercise, cold and mental stresses and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity

 

Ryoko Sone¹, Nobusuke Tan¹, Keiko Morimoto², and Fumio Yamazaki³

¹University of Yamaguchi; ²Nara Women’s University; ³University of Occupational and Environmental Health

 

The present study examined the effects of the menstrual cycle on cardiovascular responses to exercise, mental and cold stresses and arterial baroreflex sensitivity (BRS).  Nine healthy women [23.1 ± 2.1 (SE) yr] performed the three stress tests, static handgrip exercise at 30% maximal voluntary contraction with postexercise ischemia for one min, color word test and hand immersion in iced water, for 2 min each after baseline data was collected in a sitting posture approximately every three days over three menstrual cycles.  The differences (Δ) between the baseline value and the averaged value during each stress or ischemia of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were calculated, respectively.  The BRS was computed using the baseline data according to the sequence method.  The ΔMAPs and ΔHRs during exercise, ischemia and water immersion and the BRS did not significantly vary with the menstrual cycle.  During the color word test, the ΔMAPs were significantly greater during the early follicular and late luteal phases than during the other phases (about 159%), while ΔHRs did not significantly differ.  Our findings suggest that MAP response to mental stress varies with the menstrual cycle.  This may be related to premenstrual and menstrual symptoms and estrogen action.

 

Key words: mental stress, pressor response, menstrual cycle