title: Effect of menstrual cycle on thermal perception and autonomic thermoregulatory responses during mild cold exposure.
abstract: We investigated the effects of menstrual cycle phase on thermal sensation, thermal pleasantness, and autonomic thermoregulatory responses during mild cold exposure. Eight healthy young women participated. Experiments were conducted in the follicular and luteal phases: 120 min exposure at 23.5 °C after 40-min at a baseline temperature of 29 °C. Body core temperature was higher (P = 0.01) in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase. Thermal sensation of the whole body (P = 0.59), hands (P = 0.46), and toes (P = 0.94), and thermal pleasantness of the whole body (P = 0.79) were no different between phases. In both phases, mean skin temperature decreased (P = 0.00) in the same manner without any change in metabolic rate (P = 0.90). These results suggest the change of body core temperature in the menstrual cycle phases has no effect on thermal perception of cold or on autonomic cold-defense response.
authors.affiliation: Body Temperature and Fluid Laboratory, Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama, 359-1192, Japan, m.nakamura@suou.waseda.jp.
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuda-Nakamura
authors.forename: Saki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yasuhara
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagashima
mesh_terms: D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D005498:Follicular Phase / Q000502:physiology; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006728:Hormones / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008183:Luteal Phase / Q000502:physiology; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones