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Clinical investigation of the menstrual cycle. I. Diagram of the normal menstrual cycle.

The clinical definition of normal menstrual cycles has been attempted by using the basal body temperature charts of patients without gynecologic dysfunction who conceived in the following cycle. A second-species linear regression method has been used for statistical comparison of lengths of both follicular and luteal phases. A graphic representation of the equation of the tolerance limit about 46 normal cycles is proposed which can be considered a nomogram of the menstrual cycle.

Female

Comparison of spontaneous and contraceptive menstrual cycles on a visual discrimination task.

21 women with spontaneous ovulatory menstrual cycles, and 7 women who were regular users of oral contraceptives were investigated over two consecutive menstrual cycles. There two groups were compared on their two flash threshold performance and on mood ratings. It was found that, for women with ovulatory menstrual cycles, visual sensitivity was enhanced during the late follicular phase of the cycle, as ovulation approached. At other phases of the menstrual cycle (paramenstrual and luteal) visual sensitivity remained constant and comparable to the values found in women who were taking to the values found in women who were taking contraceptives. Women who were taking contraceptives showed no significant variation in visual sensitivity with phase of the menstrual cycle. The overall level of anxiety, as reflected by mood ratings was higher in women with spontaneous cycles compared to those taking contraceptives. Neither group, however, showed significant variation in anxiety with phase of the cycle.

Adolescent

Suppression of prolactin secretion by lisuride throughout the menstrual cycle and in hyperprolactinaemic menstrual disorders.

Normally menstruating volunteers as well as patients with hyperprolactinaemic menstrual disorders were treated with lisuride hydrogen maleate (200 micrograms b.i.d.), an ergoline derivative with dopaminergic properties. Within 3 h after an oral dose of 200 micrograms lisuride, PRL levels decreased significantly in all subjects to a plateau which lasted up to 3 h. Thereafter a gradual increase of serum PRL was noted. In the normally menstruating volunteers lisuride treatment did not result in any significant change of gonadotrophin or of sex steroid secretion, while both, basal as well as metoclopramide (MTCL) stimulated PRL release were significantly diminished. The inhibition of PRL secretion in patients with short luteal phases resulted in an increase of luteal progesterone output. In both treated groups ovulation occurred 1 to 5 days earlier in cycles on lisuride than in control cycles. LF-RH/MTCL tests performed in the patient bearing a pituitary prolactinoma before and after lisuride treatment revealed a continuous increase of pituitary LH pools, while PRL secretion decreased under lisuride therapy. Subsequently ovulation and menstruation occurred. The data presented demonstrate that lisuride is a potent inhibitor of PRL secretion and has proven its clinical usefulness for treatment of hyperprolactinaemic menstrual disorders. Application of lisuride resulted in an increase of luteal progesterone secretion in previously demonstrated corpus luteum insufficiency as well as in restoration of normal cyclical feedback mechanisms in tumorous hyperprolactinaemic anovulation. The MTCL-PRL stimulation test is suitable to monitor PRL suppression during lisuride treatment, while LH-RH testing reveals the effectiveness of lisuride by demonstrating an increase of pituitary gonadotrophin pools.

Adenoma

Social contact influences on the menstrual cycle of the female Chacma baboon (Papio ursinus).

The menstrual cycle characteristics of 2 groups of adult female Chacma baboons were compared. Out of a group of 27 female baboons, 41% (11/27) failed to cycle during the 6 month study period but were all under the stresses of fairly severe experimental manipulation. Data on the menstrual cycles of the remaining 16 unmanipulated females was collected and carefully analysed. These 16 females were individually caged and denied social contact with other baboons. Their menstrual cycles were then contrasted to those of a group of 8 individually caged females which received 24 minute mating tests with vasectomized males on alternate days during their cycles. The females denied the social contact of the mating tests showed significantly longer cycles as a result of significantly lengthened periods up to the time of perineal detumescence.

Animals

Cortisol and growth hormone responses to psychological stress during the menstrual cycle.

Twenty-one healthy women were studied during one menstrual cycle in order to determine whether cortisol and growth hormone responsivity to psychological stress was related to estrogen levels. Blood was drawn approximately three times per week for analysis of estradiol, progesterone, cortisol, and human growth hormone. During either the menstrual or intermenstrual phase, each subject participated in an interview that was designed to be mildly stressful. State and trait anxiety were assessed using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Anxiety state was measured prior to and immediately following exposure to the psychological stress; trait anxiety was assessed at the end of the study. Cortisol and growth hormone responses to the psychological stress were not related to menstrual cycle phase. Anxiety levels were also independent of menstrual cycle phase. Subjects who displayed significant cortisol and/or growth hormone responsivity to the interview had significantly higher anxiety levels post stress than did nonresponders, although anxiety level prior to the interview was not different for the two groups.

Adult

Identification and measurement of urinary estrone, estradiol-17 beta, estriol, pregnanediol and androsterone during the menstrual cycle of the orangutan.

Urinary estrone, estradiol-17beta, estriol, pregnanediol and androsterone were identified and measured during 3 menstrual cycles in 2 female orangutans. In 2 of the cycles, the animals excreted 1-8 mug/day estrone, 0.5-6 mug/day estradiol-17beta, 1-8 mug/day estriol, 20-206 mug/day pregnanediol and 120-522 mug/day androsterone during the first half of the menstrual cycle. In the second half of the cycle, corresponding values were 3-21 mug/day estrone, 2-10 mug/day estradiol-17beta, 1-9 mug/day estriol, 54-800 mug/day pregnanediol and 90-1158 mug/day androsterone. In 1 cycle, the estrogen values for the second half were considerably higher, possibly due to the animal becoming pregnant just before this study commenced. The values for estrone and estradiol-17beta are similar to those found in the human and chimpanzee menstrual cycle. The values for estriol were lower than in the human but higher than in the chimpanzee. Levels for urinary pregnanediol and androsterone were significantly lower than in the human. Variations during the menstrual cycle for estrone were characterized by a midcycle peak followed by a second peak in the luteal phase. No definite pattern was apparent for estradiol-17beta or estriol. Both urinary pregnanediol and androsterone levels were low during the first half of the cycle, started to rise just after midcycle, and showed a peak during the second half of the menstrual cycle.

Androsterone

Plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity and norepinephrine levels during the human menstrual cycle.

Plasma samples obtained throughout the normal menstrual cycles of six women were analyzed for dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity (DBH), norepinephrine (NE), follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and prolactin. Neither DBH activity nor NE concentrations paralleled changes in plasma gonadotropins and prolactin. No consistent pattern of either plasma DBH activity or NE concentrations during the normal menstrual cycle was noted. Thus, an association between peripheral sympathetic nervous system activity and the midcycle surge in plasma gonadotropins reported by others was not reproducible in our study of normally menstruating women.

Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase

Idiopathic facial paralysis, pregnancy, and the menstrual cycle.

The records of 42 women with Bell's palsy during pregnancy, and of 91 nonpregnant women, whose dats of onset of Bell's palsy and of the preceding menstrual cycle were precisely known, were studied for factors that might show relation between pregnancy or the menstrual cycle and Bell's palsy. Of the 42 cases in pregnancy, 31 occurred in the third trimester, five in the first two weeks postpartum, and six in the first two trimesters combined. Our calculated frequency of Bell's palsy in pregnant women is 45.1/100,000 births; for nonpregnant women of the same age group the calculated incidence is 17.4/100,000 per year. No causative relation was found between toxemia, hypertension or primigravidity, and Bell's palsy. Over 60% of the cases in nonpregnant women occurred in the first 14 days of the menstrual cycle with peaks on the first and seventh days and near ovulation. No clear evidence for an etiologic relationship was seen with edema or hormonal changes in either pregnancy or the menstrual cycle. A number of factors in pregnancy and the menstrual cycle suggested an etiologic role for herpes simplex virus reactivation in Bell's palsy. There was no evidence that prednisone treatment is contraindicated during pregnancy.

Adolescent

Urinary excretion of estrone glucosiduronate, 17 beta-estradiol-17-glucosiduronate, and estriol-16 alpha-glucosiduronate. Significance of proportionate differences during the menstrual cycle.

The urinary excretion of estrone glucosiduronate, 17 beta-estradiol-17-glucosiduronate, and estriol-16 alpha-glucosiduronate in men and throughout the menstrual cycle in women was measured by specific radioimmunoassay. In 9 men the mean +/- SE excretion of these conjugates was 15.9 +/- 1.4, 2.7 +/- 0.3, and 3.2 +/- 0.2 microgram/24 h respectively. In 15 women studied in the midfollicular phase (day 8) of the menstrual cycle, the excretion was 19.4 +/- 1.7, 2.9 +/- 0.2, and 5.4 +/- 1.3 micrograms/24 h. Excretion of each conjugate was significantly (P less than 0.01) elevated in the midluteal phase (day 22) to 41.9 +/- 3.9, 6.3 +/- 0.8, and 12.2 +/- 1.5 micrograms/24 h respectively (n = 14). The mean excretion of estriol-16 alpha-glucosiduronate was greater than that of 17 beta-estradiol-17-glucosiduronate in the luteal phase (P less than 0.05) but not in the follicular phase or in men (P greater than 0.05). The excretion of each of these specific conjugates measured throughout the menstrual cycle in 7 women was characterized by a sharp midcycle peak and a lower, broader luteal phase peak. The ratios of estriol-16 alpha-glucosiduronate to 17 beta-estradiol-17-glucosiduronate, estrone glucosiduronate to 17 beta-estradiol-17-glucosiduronate, and estriol-16 alpha-glucosiduronate to estrone glucosiduronate throughout the menstrual cycle were analyzed. When the mean ratio during the follicular phase was set at 1, a significant increase (P less than 0.01) occurred in the mean luteal phase ratio in each case: 1.00 +/- 0.03 to 1.66 +/- 0.09, 1.00 +/- 0.04 to 1.30 +/- 0.04, and 1.00 +/- 0.03 to 1.24 +/- 0.04 (mean +/- SE) respectively. The marked alteration in the proportions of these urinary estrogen conjugates may be due to altered metabolism of 17 beta-estradiol, but it more likely reflects a change in the pattern of estrogen secretion or production between the two phases of the menstrual cycle.

Adult

Calcium-regulating hormones during the menstrual cycle.

Calcium metabolism during the menstrual cycle was studied in seven women from whom fasting blood samples were drawn daily or every other day throughout ovulatory cycles. Total calcium (Ca), ionic calcium (Ca++), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), and immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) were measured. LH levels were used to date each cycle and progesterone levels were used to confirm ovulation. Plasma estradiol was measured in two of the subjects. In six subjects with cycle lengths of 27-31 days, PTH levels rose progressively through the follicular phase to a peak at or slightly before the LH surge, then fell progressively through the luteal phase; peak PTH levels were 30-35% above early follicular and late luteal values. CT levels were also highest at midcycle, but the CT pattern was somewhat more variable than that of PTH. Ca++ tended to fall until 3-4 days before ovulation and then to increase, while Ca, Mg, and P exhibited no particular pattern. One subject experienced a prolonged (44 day) ovulatory cycle characterized by three distinct PTH peaks, each of which coincided with elevations in plasma estradiol level. These results represent the first report of menstrual cyclicity in calcium-regulating hormones. The timing suggest an estrogen effect and it is hypothesized that estrogen inhibits PTH-induced bone resorption, lowering serum Ca++, which in turn provokes a compensatory PTH output. With the decline of the preovulatory estrogen peak, Ca++ levels rise and PTH secretion falls. Alternatively, it is possible that the primary action may be an estrogen-induced rise in CT release, causing hypocalcemia and consequent PTH output. Cyclic changes in PRL release or vitamin D metabolism might also be involved.

Calcitonin

Biologically active luteinizing hormone (LH) in plasma: II. Comparison with immunologically active LH levels throughout the human menstrual cycle.

The levels of biologically active luteinizing hormone were determined by an in vitro bioassay method in plasma samples collected daily over a complete menstrual cycle from 12 menstruating women. These cycles were normal according to a number of criteria, including daily plasma levels of oestradiol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone and progesterone. Immunoreactive LH was estimated in the same 12 cycles by a radio-immunoassay (RIA) procedure (HCG-RIA) using an HCG antiserum and iodinated HCG. The 2nd IRP of HMG was selected as standard although significant deviations from parallelism were found with 7 out of the 12 plasma pools studied. The use of the 1st IRP of human pituitary gonadotrophins (FSH and LH (ICSH)) for bioassay (herafter HPG-1st IRP) as standard in this system resulted invariably in invalid assays, due to lack of parallelism. Immunoreactive LH was also measured in 8 of the 12 cycles by a RIA procedure (HLA-RIA) using a human LH antiserum and iodinated human LH of pituitary origin. Results are expressed in terms of the HPG-1st IRP. The plasma levels of biologically and immunologically active LH were qualitatively similar throughout the menstrual cycle. However, the LH levels measured by the bioassay invariably exceeded those estimated by the RIA procedures. The biological to immunological (B/I) ratio over the entire menstrual cycle (312 comparisons) was 5.5 with 95% confidence limits at 5.2 and 5.8 when the HCG-RIA system was employed. Using the HLH-RIA system (208 comparisons), the corresponding ratio was 6.4 (6.0:6.9). When regression lines were calculated using the bioassay results as the independent variable and the RIA results as the dependent variable, the 95% confidence limits of the regression lines did not include the origin. Furthermore,, in keeping with the high B/I ratios, the slopes of the two regression lines and their conficence limits differed markedly from unity. It is concluded that although qualitatively similar profiles were observed between the biological and immunological activities throughtout the menstrual cycle, two aspects require further attention. Firstly, the elevated B/I ratios together with the behaviour of the dose-effect lines obtained with different standards in the various RIA systems suggest that presently available reference standard preparations of pituitary and/or urinary origin are not suitable for the assay of LH in human plasms. Secondly, from the regression analyses of the biological and immunological activities it is infered that the RIA methods detect immunological activity which is not associated with biological activity. If so, the validity of these RIA procedures for specifically measuring low levels of biologically active LH in plasma may be in question.

Adult

Gonadotropin determinations in times 3-hour urine collections during the menstrual cycle and LHRH testing.

The usefulness of timed 3-hour urine collections as a substitute for serum gonadotropin (LH and FSH) determinations during the menstrual cycle and during LHRH testing was examined. The timing of the 3-hour urine collection is not important in mature individuals, since no significant temporal trend was found when aliquots were collected every 3 hours throughout two 24-hour periods in one mature woman. Good correlation was found between serum LH and FSH concentrations and the quantity of LH and FSH in timed 3-hour urine specimens throughout normal, ovulatory menstrual cycles in two women. Studies before and during 51 LHRH stimulation tests in normal men, children, and women during different phases of the menstrual cycle and in patients with a variety of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis disorders were performed. There was good correlation between the quantity of the gonadotropins in time 3-hour urine collections and the mean serum LH and FSH concentrations before and during the LHRH test. The "response area" for serum LH and FSH also correlated well with the amounts of LH and FSH in the urine collected during this period. Therefore, the timed 3-hour urine collection for gonadotropin estimation provides a simple, accurate method for the integration of fluctuating serum concentrations of LH and FSH during such instances of physiologic variability as the menstrual cycle and LHRH stimulation tests.

Adolescent

Effects of oestrogens on prolactin and thyrotrophin responses to TRH in women during the menstrual cycle and under oral contraceptive treatment.

The effects of physiological and pharmacological variations of oestrogens on prolactin and thyrotrophin (TSH) secretion have been studied during the menstrual cycle and under oral contraceptive treatment. Ten women were tested for prolactin and TSH responses to 200 mug TRH in the early follicular (days 4-6), periovulatory (days 14-15) and luteal phases (days 22-26) of the same menstrual cycle. Circulating plasma prolactin levels did not significantly vary in the three phases, but TSH basal levels were lower in the luteal than in the follicular and periovulatory periods. The prolactin response to TRH was significantly enhanced in the periovulatory phase, while the TSH response was slightly decreased. Seven women on sequential contraceptives exhibited increased basal and TRH-induced prolactin secretion during the oestrogen treatment, with an unaltered TSH secretion throughout therapy. Treatment with combined contraceptives did not alter either basal or TRH-induced prolactin secretion in eight women, but basal TSH secretion and its response to TRH were both reduced. These data show that oestrogens may produce different regulatory effects on prolactin and TSH secretion, particularly in the pituitary sensitivity to TRH stimulation. Physiological variations of oestrogen secretion such as those observed during the menstrual cycle can likewise modify prolactin levels. These results could provide some support for a regulatory role for prolactin in the menstrual cycle.

Adult

Total serum cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids during the normal menstrual cycle.

Ten healthy women (mean age, 29 years) with regular menstrual cycles of 26 to 29 days were tested for levels of total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, and estradiol three times during one menstrual cycle-during menstruation, at ovulation, and in the luteal phase. All studies were performed simultaneously. Lipid variations during the menstrual cycle were minimal. Total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids did not correlate with changes in the serum estradiol levels.

Adult

Hormonal regulation of the menstrual cycle in women with breast cancer: effect of adjuvant chemotherapy.

The hormonal features of the menstrual cycle determined by measurement of serum LH, FSH, oestradiol, progesterone and prolactin were normal in thirteen breast cancer patients clinically disease free and not taking anti-tumour therapy. Results of similar studies during seven menstrual cycles in four patients on an adjuvant therapy programme of L-phenylalanine mustard (L-PAM) + 5-flurouracil (5-FU) also had normal hormonal characteristics after three to fourteen courses of chemotherapy. Amenorrhoea with elevated gonadotrophins occurred after seven courses of chemotherapy in one 48-year-old woman. Adjuvant chemotherapy does not appear to result in major alterations in hormone secretion during menstrual cycles of women who continue to menstruate while on therapy.

Adult

[Evolution of human endocervical cilio-secretory epithelium during the menstrual cycle. Scanning electron microscopy study].

The anatomy of the ventral epithelial surface of the human uterine endocervix was investigated by S.E.M. from biopsies taken at various periods of the menstrual cycle and from whole cervices obtained by hysterectomy on the 17th and 22nd day. Ciliated and secretory cells which constitute the epithelial surface appeared to be associated at random in various manners without apparent connection with the menstrual cycle. Considerable variation was observed at the same cycle period, depending on the patients. The release of mucus took place mainly according the macro-apocrine extrusion process, whose evolution was clear throughout menstrual cycle. Apocrine extrusions were found to be particularly intense and numerous from the 12th to the 16th day, with a peak on the 14th day. Some ciliated cells were also seen to exhibit protuberant mucus protrusion. The merocrine extrusion process was seen very rarely and thus seemed to be of minor importance. An evolutive provess also seems to occur at the level of ciliated cells: from the 9th to the 16th day, some secretory cells were seen to bear miniciliae of increasing length beside their typical microvillae. This could be interpreted as a transformation process of secretory into ciliated cells during the second third of the menstrual cycle.

Adult

Effect of prednisone on plasma testosterone levels and on duration of phases of the menstrual cycle in hyperandrogenic women.

A group of 106 women of reproductive age with laboratory and clinical evidence of hyperandrogenism was treated with prednisone. The daily dosage varied between 7.5 and 10 mg. Ovulatory activity was assessed prior to and during therapy by basal body temperature and observation of changes in the cervical os and cervical mucus. Plasma testosterone levels were significantly suppressed by prednisone therapy. This was associated with initiation of ovulatory activity in 5 of 14 (35.7%) amenorrheic patients and 10 of 11 (90.9%) anovulatory patients. In 81 ovulatory patients, prednisone therapy resulted in statistically significant shortening of the follicular phase and lengthening of the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The mean length of the menstrual cycle was unchanged. Significant correlations between percentage suppression of plasma testosterone and shortening of the follicular phase or lengthening of the luteal phase were observed. Suppression of plasma testosterone by prednisone was maximal after 2 months of treatment, while the effect on the phases of the menstrual cycle was progressive with duration of treatment. The effects of prednisone at daily dosages of 7.5 or 10 mg were not significantly different. These results suggest that prednisone therapy in hyperandrogenic women exerts an effect on both phases of the menstrual cycle, possibly related to suppression of plasma testosterone levels.

Adult

Carbohydrate metabolism in the menstrual cycle.

Blood sugar, serum insulin and growth hormone levels in response to 100 g. of oral glucose were studied under carefully controlled conditions on days 9, 18 and 27 of the menstrual cycle in 20 healthy women aged 18 to 20 years. The results indicate that blood sugar and serum insulin levels in response to oral glucose loading do not alter significantly in the menstrual cycle. Seven of the women had repeat studies on the same days three cycles later. No significant change in blood sugar or serum insulin levels occurred between cycles. The fasting growth hormone level was highest at the time of impending menstruation in 11 subjects (55 per cent) but the difference in mean values for the group as a whole was not statistically significant. It is concluded that the changes in endogenous hormone levels in a menstrual cycle do not produce significant alterations in carbohydrate metabolism in normal women in this age group. The reported divergence of blood glucose and insulin levels after oral glucose in the menstrual cycle may reflect the interaction of other factors such as age and parity on glucose tolerance. It is suggested that investigations into the metabolic effects of oral contraceptive steroids on these parameters should be performed in nulliparous women in a similar age range.

Administration, Oral