The effects of menstrual cycle on cardiovascular response to mental stress and arterial stiffness

Abstract

The present study examined the effects of menstrual cycle on arterial blood pressure and heart rate (HR) responses to mental stress and cardio‐ankle vascular index (CAVI). The CAVI is a new index of arterial stiffness recently developed by measurement of pulse wave velocity and blood pressure. Eight healthy young women performed the color word test for 2 min followed by CAVI measurement approximately every three days over three menstrual cycles. The differences between the baseline value and the averaged value of systolic (ΔSBP), mean (ΔMBP) and diastolic blood pressures during stress as well as HR during stress (ΔHR) were calculated, respectively. Compared to those during other phases, ΔSBP and ΔMBP showed a tendency to increase during the early follicular and late luteal phases, and these changes correlated with scores on the menstrual distress questionnaire (p<0.05) in a few subjects. The ΔHR and CAVI did not vary with the menstrual cycle. The pressor response to stress did not relate to the CAVI either. Our findings suggest that the effect of the menstrual cycle on pressor response to mental stress differs from person to person and may relate to premenstrual and menstrual symptoms and estrogen action, but arterial stiffness was not affected by the menstrual cycle.