[Effects of female hormones on respiratory and cardiovascular regulation]

The influences of sex steroids on ventilation, ventilatory control, and pulmonary vascular response are briefly reviewed. This review focuses on the ventilatory and cardiovascular effects of endogenous and exogenous female and male steroids. Understanding the influences of sex steroids on respiratory and cardiovascular control is important in view of the gender differences in susceptibility to various respiratory diseases, and the changes in ventilation that occur at various phases of the life cycle, including pregnancy, menstrual cycle, and menopause. We summarize evidence concerning the importance of hormonal influences on pulmonary vascular control in selected pathophysiological and physiological states. The detailed information we acquired concerning the effects of sex steroids on ventilatory control is important for understanding the sites and integrated modes of action by which ventilation is regulated in health and disease.