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Summary
Asthmatic women often experience worsening symptoms before their period, confirmed by peak expiratory flow measurements. This premenstrual asthma exacerbation showed no link to other factors like cycle length or pregnancy asthma behavior.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Endocrinology
- Pulmonology
- Women's Health
Background:
- Asthma management requires understanding all potential triggers.
- The menstrual cycle is a potential factor influencing asthma control in women.
- Previous research on menstrual cycle impact on asthma is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the menstrual cycle and asthma exacerbations.
- To determine if premenstrual symptom deterioration in asthmatic women is objectively measurable.
- To explore potential correlations between asthma exacerbation and other factors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized questionnaires to assess symptom perception.
- Employed twice-daily peak expiratory flow (PEF) measurements for objective data.
- Included 40% of women reporting premenstrual symptom worsening.
Main Results:
- A significant proportion of women (40%) reported premenstrual worsening of asthma symptoms.
- Objective PEF recordings corroborated the subjective reports of premenstrual symptom deterioration.
- No significant correlations were found between premenstrual asthma exacerbation and premenstrual tension, aspirin use, oral contraceptive use, cycle length, or asthma behavior during pregnancy.
Conclusions:
- The menstrual cycle, specifically the premenstrual phase, is a relevant factor in asthma symptom control for a subset of women.
- Objective measurements confirm subjective reports of premenstrual asthma worsening.
- Factors such as premenstrual tension, aspirin, oral contraceptives, cycle length, and pregnancy asthma history do not appear to correlate with premenstrual asthma exacerbation.