Abstract
Higher concentrations of oxidative stress biomarkers are found in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis, conditions linked to irregular menstrual cycles and menstrual pain. The aim of the present study was to test whether women with higher oxidative stress are more likely to show irregular menstrual cycles and severe menstrual pain compared with women with lower oxidative stress. A cross-sectional study was conducted targeting female university students with a mean (SD) age of 20.5 (1.8) years (n = 188). Participants completed a questionnaire on reproductive characteristics and anthropometry and kept a menstrual cycle diary for 5 consecutive months. Urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), cotinine, and creatinine concentrations were measured once during the study period. The mean (SD) value of the urinary 8-OHdG concentration was 4.7 (2.0) μg/g of creatinine. A total of 1021 menstrual cycles were recorded. The participants were categorized as either having regular (68%) or irregular (18%) cycles or oligomenorrhea (13%) or polymenorrhea (1%). The urinary 8-OHdG concentration did not significantly differ across menstrual cycle regularity or pain categories. Even after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), and urinary cotinine concentrations, having irregular cycles or more severe menstrual pain was not associated with urinary 8-OHdG concentration.
Highlights
Menstrual cycle length is highly variable across and within women
Higher concentrations of oxidative stress biomarkers are found in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) [7] and endometriosis [8], urinary 8-OHdG was not included as an oxidative stress biomarker in the systematic review [7]
We found no significant association between oxidative stress as measured by urinary 8-OHdG
Summary
Menstrual cycle length is highly variable across and within women. Sources of variability include age [1], obesity [2,3], smoking [2], alcohol [4] and caffeine intake [5], and physical activity [4].Previously, we reported that none of the examined lifestyle factors, i.e., alcohol and caffeine intake or physical activity, could explain the variability in menstrual cycles in a sample of Japanese women [6].Int. Menstrual cycle length is highly variable across and within women. Sources of variability include age [1], obesity [2,3], smoking [2], alcohol [4] and caffeine intake [5], and physical activity [4]. We reported that none of the examined lifestyle factors, i.e., alcohol and caffeine intake or physical activity, could explain the variability in menstrual cycles in a sample of Japanese women [6]. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 2616; doi:10.3390/ijerph15122616 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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