Appearance of Inflammation in Peripheral Blood during Menstrual Cycles in Women of Childbearing Age

Abstract

Background: Chronic inflammation has been reported as a triggering and driving factor in the pathogenesis of various diseases and is believed to be closely associated with tumor pathogenesis. In this study, we aimed to explore the changes of the inflammatory stress-related indexes during the menstrual period. Methods: Cytokines and tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens from 76 childbearing-age women during the follicular phase, luteal phase, and menstrual period were measured. Results: The expression of inflammatory indexes, such as platelets (PLT), lymphocytes (Lym), the percentage of Lym (Lym%), neutrophils (Neu), the percantage of Neu (Neu%), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and cancer antigen 125 (CA125), reached the highest level during the menstrual period. Conclusions: Female genital organs are under inflammatory stress during menstruation, which hints that the changes of the inflammatory state of the body play an important role in the pathogenesis of diseases.