title: Menstrual irregularity and asthma and lung function.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oligomenorrhea was associated with more asthma (Respiratory Health in Northern Europe study), but a possible association with lung function has not been investigated previously.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether oligomenorrhea was related to lung function and asthma, and whether body mass index and physical activity modified associations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women age 28 to 44 years (n = 1631) participating in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey were included. Women who were taking exogenous sex hormones, were pregnant, or had recently given birth were excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Long or irregular menstrual cycles were reported by 313 women (19%). Oligomenorrhea was significantly associated with more asthma symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 1.76; 95% CI, 1.29-2.40), allergic asthma (OR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.43-4.23), and lower forced vital capacity (FVC; adjusted difference, 63 mL; 95% CI, -124 to -1). When excluding women using asthma medication, very lean women, or women exercising daily, these associations remained significant. Effects of oligomenorrhea were additive to those of body mass index (BMI) on asthma and FVC. Asthma symptoms increased significantly with BMI. FVC and FEV(1) increased with BMI until 25 kg/m(2) and thereafter decreased with increasing BMI. Excluding women exercising daily, asthma symptoms increased significantly with decreasing physical activity (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.001-1.19) per category of physical activity) independently of oligomenorrhea. Among women exercising daily, oligomenorrhea predicted very high risk for asthma symptoms (OR, 12.6; 95% CI, 3.7-43).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women with oligomenorrhea have reduced lung function and more asthma, particularly allergic asthma, independent of BMI and physical activity. Airways pathology may have not only a hormonal but also a metabolic component.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women with oligomenorrhea should be investigated with regard to asthma and lung function. Underlying metabolic disturbance should be considered in asthma.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Respiratory Research Unit, Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica, Barcelona, Spain. francisco.real@med.uib.no
authors.forename: Francisco Gómez
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Real
authors.forename: Cecilie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Svanes
authors.forename: Ernst Reidar
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Omenaas
authors.forename: Josep Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Antò
authors.forename: Estel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Plana
authors.forename: Christer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Janson
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jarvis
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zemp
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wjst
authors.forename: Bénédicte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Leynaert
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sunyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009839:Oligomenorrhea / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D014797:Vital Capacity / Q000502:physiology*