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Few oligo-amenorrheic athletes have vasomotor symptoms
M L Hammar1, M B Hammar-Henriksson, J Frisk
1Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of Health and Environment, Faculty of Health Sciences, Link]oping University, Link]oping, Sweden. matha@gyn.liu.se
Objective:
To assess whether women with athletic oligo-amenorrhea have vasomotor symptoms.
Material And Methods:
A mailed questionnaire was sent to 252 female athletes about vasomotor symptoms. Identical questions were also mailed to 1523 peri- and postmenopausal women.
Results:
The prevalence of vasomotor symptoms was low in female athletes with oligo- and amenorrhea and similar to that found in athletes with regular menstruations. The prevalence was significantly lower than in menopausal women. Although more than a third of the menopausal women had hormone replacement therapy, 30% of them still had vasomotor symptoms at least every week compared with only 2% of the oligo-amenorrheic athletes.
Conclusion:
Vasomotor symptoms are very uncommon in oligo-amenorrheic athletes, although many of them are hypoestrogenic. It was suggested that one factor contributing to these symptoms around menopause is low hypothalamic activity of beta-endorphins, which makes the thermoregulatory centre labile. On the other hand, supraphysiological activity in hypothalamic beta-endorphins may cause the oligo-amenorrhea in athletes, but may stabilise the thermoregulatory centre and thus prevent hot flushes.