title: Influence of menstrual cycle on cardiac performance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between endogen sex hormone levels and myocardial performance in two different phases of menstrual cycle.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The relationships between cardiac performance and sex hormone levels in menstrual cycle have not yet been clearly identified.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven women at the age of 19-42 years (mean 24.11+/-6.02) with regular menstrual cycles (28-31 days) were enrolled in this study. Cardiac performance was evaluated by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) derived myocardial performance index (MPI) in the menstrual and the luteal phases of the menstrual cycle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Left ventricular MPI were statistically significant between the menstrual phase and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (Inferior 0.53+/-0.10 versus 0.44+/-0.09, P<0.001; Anterior 0.54+/-0.13 versus 0.45+/-0.10, P<0.008; Lateral 0.50+/-0.09 versus 0.44+/-0.12, P<0.03; Septum 0.54+/-0.07 versus 0.46+/-0.10, P<0.005; Global 0.52+/-0.06 versus 0.44+/-0.09, P<0.001). Right ventricle MPI between the two periods was also significantly different (0.49+/-0.10 versus 0.42+/-0.10, P<0.01). There was a moderate correlation between estrogen levels and global MPI (r=0.46, P=0.001), but no correlation was found between progesterone levels and global MPI (r=0.22, P=NS).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We firstly demonstrated that endogen estrogen or progesterone improved the combined systolic and diastolic function in both left and right ventricle during luteal phases of menstrual cycle. Considering the previous studies and our results, estrogen may be responsible for this improvement.
authors: Selcuk University, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Konya, Turkey.
authors: Kadriye
authors: K
authors: Zengin
authors: Mehmet
authors: M
authors: Tokac
authors: Mehmet Akif
authors: MA
authors: Duzenli
authors: Ahmet
authors: A
authors: Soylu
authors: Nazif
authors: N
authors: Aygul
authors: Kurtulus
authors: K
authors: Ozdemir
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008183:Luteal Phase / Q000502:physiology; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D011374:Progesterone