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Estrogen variation and resting left ventricular structure and function in young healthy females
K P George1, K M Birch, B Jones
1Dept. of Exercise and Sport Science, Crewe and Alsager Faculty, Manchester Metropolitan University, Alsager Campus, Cheshire, England. k.p.george@mmu.ac.uk
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|February 29, 2000
Summary
Menstrual phase and oral contraceptive use do not significantly impact left ventricular (LV) structure and function in women. Echocardiographic assessments of LV parameters are reliable across different phases, with minor variations within acceptable limits.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Reproductive Endocrinology
Background:
- Assessing left ventricular (LV) structure and function in women requires understanding potential confounding factors.
- Menstrual cycle phase and oral contraceptive (OC) use may influence cardiovascular assessments.
- Previous research has not adequately addressed these potential confounders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of menstrual phase on LV structure and function in eumenorrheic women.
- To determine the effect of oral contraceptive use on LV structure and function.
- To establish if these factors represent significant confounders in cardiovascular research.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen eumenorrheic and 14 oral contraceptive users underwent echocardiography.
- Assessments were performed during specific phases of the menstrual cycle or OC use.
- M-mode and pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography evaluated LV structure and function.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in LV structure or function were observed between menstrual cycle phases.
- Oral contraceptive use did not significantly alter LV structure or function.
- Variations in measured and derived LV parameters were within acceptable limits of error.
Conclusions:
- Menstrual phase and oral contraceptive use have minimal impact on LV structure and function assessments.
- These factors are unlikely to be significant confounders in studies of female cardiac function.
- Echocardiographic data in women can be reliably interpreted without accounting for menstrual phase or OC use.