Cardiovascular risk factors and menstrual cycle phase in pre-menopausal women.

Abstract

Exogenous estrogens have been shown to affect markers of cardiovascular risk in women. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of menstrual cycle phase on markers of cardiovascular risk in young, healthy women with regular menstrual cycles. This prospective cohort study examined 20 healthy pre-menopausal women at 2 time-points in the menstrual cycle, in early follicular phase and early luteal phase. In the early luteal phase, levels of estrogen, progesterone, LH, total cholesterol, and HDL were significantly higher, compared with the early follicular phase. In contrast, there were no significant differences in LDL or triglyceride levels between the 2 phases. Furthermore, there were no significant effects of menstrual cycle phase on glycemic indices (fasting blood glucose, glycohemoglobin or homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance), markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein, soluble CD40 ligand, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, or adiponectin), or vascular function, as measured by brachial artery reactivity. Although menstrual cycle phase affects total cholesterol and HDL levels, it does not affect other markers of cardiovascular risk in young women with regular menstrual cycles.