Mechanisms underlying hemodynamic and neuroendocrine stress reactivity at different phases of the menstrual cycle
Open accessAbstract
This study examined the association of menstrual cycle phase with stress reactivity as well as the hormonal and neuroendocrine mechanisms contributing to cycle effects. Fifty‐seven women underwent a modified Trier Social Stress Test during the early follicular, late follicular, and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Greater increases in cardiac index (CI) and greater decreases in vascular resistance index (VRI) during speech were observed in the luteal phase relative to other phases, while greater increases in epinephrine (EPI) was observed during the late follicular and luteal phases compared to the early follicular phase. Luteal phase estradiol predicted luteal EPI reactivity but not CI or VRI reactivity, while luteal phase EPI reactivity predicted luteal phase CI and VRI reactivity. Thus, cycle‐related changes in EPI reactivity may be a stronger determinant of cycle effects on hemodynamic reactivity than sex hormones per se.
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In general, differences between menstrual cycle phases in cortisol do not reach statistical significance in prior studies.
“Overall, although changes are apparent, in general the differences between phases do not reach statistical significance in these studies.”
From The relationship between the menstrual cycle and cortisol secretion: Daily and stress-invoked cortisol patterns (2018) · cites this paper as Gordon and Girdler, 2014
The Results (Menstrual Cycle Effects on Stress Reactivity; page unavailable) report no significant cycle-phase effect on cortisol stress reactivity in this study. That does not establish the claim about prior studies generally: the paper describes earlier findings as inconsistent and notes studies in which cortisol reactivity was greater in the luteal phase. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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Cites
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“…have obscured our ability to observe a menstrual cycle influence on cortisol since estradiol influences corticotropin binding globulin (CBG) levels (Kirschbaum et al., 1999); and 3) since cortisol and ACTH were measured only once post-task, this may have limited our ability to capture the dynamic…”
BackgroundThe effects of sex and hormonal status on the physiological response to acute psychosocial stress
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The Trier Social Stress Test: Principles and practice
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- Authors
- Gordon, J. L., & Girdler, S. S.
- Affiliations
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Corresponding author
- Girdler, Susan S.
- Venue
- Psychophysiology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2014-01-08
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 309-318
- ISSN
- 0048-5772 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8986
- PMC
- PMC3982184
- OpenAlex
- W1572208191
- Cited by
- 41
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3
- FWCI
- 2.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychophysiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
- UNC Libraries
- Funders
- Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance (UL1 RR025747)
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH093315)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA013705)
- National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR025747)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Menstrual Health and Disorders
- Keywords
- menstrual cycle, stress reactivity, hemodynamic reactivity, neuroendocrine stress response, epinephrine, estradiol, luteal phase, follicular phase, cardiac index, vascular resistance index, social stress, sex hormones
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Female, Hemodynamics, Humans, Menstrual Cycle, Neurosecretory Systems, Social Environment, Stress, Psychological, Young Adult
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