scholarly journals Evaluation of Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variability during Different Phases of Menstrual Cycle

Author(s):  
T. Srigopika ◽  
G. Sridevi ◽  
S. Preetha

Introduction: Every month, between puberty and menopause, a woman’s body goes through a number of changes to get it ready for a possible pregnancy. This series of hormone-driven events is called the menstrual cycle. A woman’s menstrual cycle is divided into three phases- proliferative phase, secretory phase and menstrual phase.  The hormonal surge during each phase causes profound effects on the cardiovascular system as well. However, previous research reported conflicting results in this concept. Thus the controversial statements associating blood pressure and heart rate variability with menstrual cycle promoted this research. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the blood pressure and heart rate variability during different phases of the menstrual cycle. Materials and Methods: 20 healthy women belonging to the proliferative, secretory and menstrual phase of the menstrual cycle were analyzed for autonomic functions tests using systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate and heart rate variability. Results: It showed that there was a statistically significant increase in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and pulse rate during the secretory phase. There was an increase in heart rate variability during the menstrual phase but this was statistically insignificant. Conclusion:  The study concluded that there were significant changes in blood pressure during the secretory phase and pulse rate and insignificant increase in heart rate variability during the menstrual phase. Thus, the study also concluded that sympathetic nervous activity in the secretory phase is significantly greater than in the proliferative phase, whereas parasympathetic nervous activity is predominant in the proliferative phase.

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Mejía-Mejía ◽  
James M. May ◽  
Mohamed Elgendi ◽  
Panayiotis A. Kyriacou

AbstractHeart rate variability (HRV) utilizes the electrocardiogram (ECG) and has been widely studied as a non-invasive indicator of cardiac autonomic activity. Pulse rate variability (PRV) utilizes photoplethysmography (PPG) and recently has been used as a surrogate for HRV. Several studies have found that PRV is not entirely valid as an estimation of HRV and that several physiological factors, including the pulse transit time (PTT) and blood pressure (BP) changes, may affect PRV differently than HRV. This study aimed to assess the relationship between PRV and HRV under different BP states: hypotension, normotension, and hypertension. Using the MIMIC III database, 5 min segments of PPG and ECG signals were used to extract PRV and HRV, respectively. Several time-domain, frequency-domain, and nonlinear indices were obtained from these signals. Bland–Altman analysis, correlation analysis, and Friedman rank sum tests were used to compare HRV and PRV in each state, and PRV and HRV indices were compared among BP states using Kruskal–Wallis tests. The findings indicated that there were differences between PRV and HRV, especially in short-term and nonlinear indices, and although PRV and HRV were altered in a similar manner when there was a change in BP, PRV seemed to be more sensitive to these changes.


1991 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Manhem ◽  
Christina Jern ◽  
Martin Pilhall ◽  
Guy Shanks ◽  
Sverker Jern

1. The haemodynamic effects of hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle were examined in 11 normotensive women (age 20–46 years). The subjects were studied on days 2–8 (follicular phase) and days 18–26 (luteal phase) in a randomized order. A standardized mental stress test and a 24 h recording of ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate were performed. 2. Pre-stress resting levels of heart rate and blood pressure were similar during the two phases of the menstrual cycle. 3. During mental stress, the heart rate response was significantly greater during the luteal phase than during the follicular phase (14.7 versus 9.7 beats/min; P < 0.05). 4. Blood pressure, plasma catecholamine concentrations and subjective stress experience increased significantly in response to stress, without any significant differences between the two phases. 5. During 24 h ambulatory monitoring, higher levels of systolic blood pressure and heart rate were observed in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase (P < 0.005 and P < 0.0001, respectively). 6. These data indicate that cyclic variations in female sex hormones not only affect systolic blood pressure and heart rate, but also alter the haemodynamic responses to psychosocial stress.


1995 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Constant ◽  
Arlette Girard ◽  
Jérôme Le Bidois ◽  
Elizabeth Villain ◽  
Dominique Laude ◽  
...  

1. The aim of the study was to examine the short-term variability in blood pressure and heart rate in 19 children who had received heart transplants and in eight normal control children. 2. Blood pressure was determined by a finger arterial pressure device. We examined the power spectra for heart rate and systolic blood pressure in the supine and tilted positions. In addition, we studied the acute changes in blood pressure and heart rate during active standing. 3. In the transplanted children we could distinguish two groups (groups A and B) in whom heart rate variability differed, although in both it was greatly reduced compared with controls (group C). In group A there were no significant fluctuations in the mid-frequency range for heart rate. The gain of the relationship between systolic blood pressure and heart rate was very low and there were virtually no heart rate changes associated with passive tilting. 4. By contrast, in group B transplant patients the heart rate variability, as assessed by standard deviation, was about half that of normal controls. The power spectra attenuation was greater in the high-frequency than in the mid-frequency bands. On passive tilting the latter became enhanced, but not the high-frequency variability. On active standing the tachycardic response was about half that of controls. The findings suggest some reinnervation involving cardiac sympathetic fibres to a greater degree than the fast-responding vagal fibres. 5. In both groups A and B the drop in systolic blood pressure observed early in active standing was about 4–6 times as great as in controls. One possible mechanism could be the loss of cardiac afferents. 6. Time since operation was a critical factor for reinnervation, since all subjects from group B were transplanted more than 44 months prior to the recording. 7. We conclude that in a proportion of children who have received heart transplantation there is a delayed reinnervation of the heart, which probably involves sympathetic effectors rather than the vagus.


2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt A. Spurgin ◽  
Anthony Kaprelian ◽  
Roberto Gutierrez ◽  
Vidyasagar Jha ◽  
Christopher G. Wilson ◽  
...  

1997 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 543-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary C. Butler ◽  
Shin-Ichi Ando ◽  
John S. Floras

1. There is a substantial non-harmonic or fractal component to the variability of both heart rate and blood pressure in normal subjects. Heart rate is the more complex of these two signals, with respect to the slope, β, of the 1/fβ relationship. In congestive heart failure, heart rate spectral power is attenuated, but the fractal and harmonic components of heart rate and systolic blood pressure variability have not been characterized. 2. Two groups, each comprising 20 men, were studied during 15 min of supine rest and spontaneous respiration: one with functional class II—IV heart failure (age 52 ± 2 years; mean ± SEM) and a second group of healthy men (age 46 ± 2 years). 3. Total spectral power for heart rate was significantly reduced in heart failure (P < 0.02), whereas total spectral power for systolic blood pressure was similar in the two groups. In both heart failure and normal subjects, 65–80% of total spectral power in these two signals displayed fractal characteristics. 4. In heart failure, the slope of the 1/fβ relationship for heart rate was significantly steeper than in normal subjects (1.40 ± 0.08 compared with 1.14 ± 0.05; P < 0.05), indicating reduced complexity of the fractal component of heart rate variability. There was no significant difference in the 1/fβ slope for systolic blood pressure variability between these two groups, but the blood pressure signals were less complex than heart rate variations in both heart failure (2.31 ± 0.15; P < 0.006) and normal subjects (2.47 ± 0.15; P < 0.0001). 5. Parasympathetic nervous system activity, as estimated from heart rate variability was reduced (P < 0.01) in patients with heart failure, whereas trends towards increased sympathetic nervous system activity and decreased non-harmonic power were not significant. 6. The non-harmonic components of cardiac frequency are reduced in heart failure. Non-harmonic power is not attenuated, but the complexity of the heart rate signal is less than in subjects with normal ventricular function. A reduction in parasympathetic modulation appears to contribute to this loss of complexity of heart rate. Consequently, the heart rate signal comes to resemble that of blood pressure. In contrast, the variability and complexity of the systolic blood pressure signal is similar in heart failure and normal subjects. This reduced complexity of heart rate variability may have adverse implications for patients with heart failure.


1994 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pekka Koskinen ◽  
Juha Virolainen ◽  
Markku Kupari

1. The acute effects of a moderate dose of ethanol (1 g/kg body weight) on heart rate and blood pressure variability and baroreflex sensitivity were studied in 12 healthy male subjects in a juice-controlled experiment. Electrocardiographic and finger blood pressure data were recorded and stored in a minicomputer during 5 min of controlled breathing (15 cycles/min) and during deep breathing (5 s inpiration, 5 s expiration, four cycles) before drinking and hourly thereafter for 3 h. 2. Mean breath alcohol concentration rose to 18.9 mg/100 ml. In the time domain analysis, the root mean square difference of successive R-R interval decreased significantly with ethanol as compared with the juice experiment. The difference remained statistically significant even after adjustment for the shorter R-R interval after alcohol. In the frequency domain analysis the high-frequency (0.15-0.5 Hz) spectral power showed a significant decrease after alcohol intake. Also, the index of sensitivity of the baro-receptor reflex (square root of R-R interval power/systolic blood pressure power) decreased significantly in the high-frequency component. Ethanol did not change finger systolic blood pressure, and power spectral analysis did not show significant variability in blood pressure. 3. These data indicate that acute intake of moderate amounts of alcohol causes a significant decrease in heart rate variability owing to diminished vagal modulation of the heart rate.


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