title: The menstrual cycle has no effect on gastrointestinal transit time. Evaluation by means of the lactulose H2 breath test.
abstract: Gastrointestinal transit time was studied by means of the H2 breath test (after administration of 20 g of lactulose) in 20 healthy women with regular menstrual cycles. The mean transit time measured in the follicular phase of the cycle (M +/- SE = 71.25 +/- 6.69 min) did not differ statistically from that measured in the luteal phase (66.75 +/- 5.49 min). Data were statistically analyzed using Student's t test for paired data and the Wilcoxon Test for non-parametric data. Our results show that, in physiological conditions, female sex hormones do not affect mouth-to-caecum transit time. The H2 breath test is easy to perform and well tolerated; it thus proves particularly suitable for use in women of child-bearing age.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Clinica Medica, Università di Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bovo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paola Brunori
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: di Francesco
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frulloni
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Montesi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cavallini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005498:Follicular Phase / Q000502:physiology; D005772:Gastrointestinal Transit / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D007792:Lactulose; D008183:Luteal Phase / Q000502:physiology; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007792:Lactulose; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D006859:Hydrogen