This study was undertaken to evaluate plasma TBARS and blood GSH concentration and erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase) in active, regularly menstruating female physical education students with ovulatory and anovulatory menstrual cycles and in their male counterparts. A total of 27 subjects (12 males and 15 females) volunteered to participate in the study. All females were regularly menstruating with cycle length between 26-31 days. Plasma progesterone and 17-beta-estradiol concentrations were assayed during the 7th-9th and 22nd-25th day of the menstrual cycle. Women with plasma progesterone concentration exceeding 19 nmol(.)l(-1) during the 22nd-25th day were referred to as ovulatory (Group OV; n=7). Women without a peak plasma progesterone concentration were referred to as anovulatory (Group AN; n=8). Blood from male subjects was withdrawn twice - two weeks apart, at their convenience. It was found that the menstrual cycle phases did not affect plasma TBARS and blood glutathione concentration and erythrocyte GPX, CAT and SOD activity. However, erythrocyte GPX activity either in ovulatory or anovulatory women was by about 30% higher than in male subjects. Erythrocyte SOD activity in ovulatory women both in follicular and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (1557 U/g Hb and 1394.6 U/g Hb, respectively) was markedly lower than in men (1951.8 and 1937.7 U/g Hb for blood sampling I and II, respectively). In contrast, erythrocyte SOD activity in anovulatory women (1855.5 U/g Hb and 1745.7 U/g Hb in the follicular and luteal phases, respectively) was similar to that found in men. The above data indicated that erythrocyte GPX and SOD activities are sensitive to plasma ovarian hormone concentration. In addition, they suggested that due to higher erythrocyte GPX activity females even with anovulatory menstrual cycles are protected better than males against hydrogen peroxide action. However, lower superoxide production and consequent lower erythrocyte SOD activity was solely observed in females with ovulatory menstrual cycles and normal ovarian hormone plasma levels.

Background: Vigorous physical activity and subsequent depressed ovarian hormone secretion resulting in anovulatory menstrual cycles can affect erythrocyte antioxidant system in premenopausal women and contribute to attenuated protection against oxidative stress. Methods: A total of 17 regularly menstruating women participated in the study. Prospective subjects monitored their basal body temperature (BBT) for 3 months prior to the study. Plasma progesterone concentration was assayed between the 7th and 9th day and again between the 22nd and 25th day of the menstrual cycle and made possible the classification of participants as either ovulating or non-ovulating. Plasma 17-beta-estradiol concentration was determined on the same menstrual cycle days as progesterone. Plasma thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS) served as an index of plasma lipid peroxidation. Whole blood-reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity and erythrocyte catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase (GSH-RX) represented red cells antioxidants. Results: In non-ovulating women, the lack of progesterone peak between the 22nd and 25th day of the menstrual cycle was demonstrated. In addition, markedly lower (P<0.008) plasma 17-beta-estradiol concentrations in non-ovulating females than in ovulating ones in the follicular phase was noted. In the luteal phase, plasma 17-beta-estradiol levels in non-ovulating subjects tended to be lower (P<0.06) than in ovulating counterparts. Mean concentrations of plasma thiobarbituric-reacting substances and blood-reduced glutathione and mean activities of glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase did not differ significantly in ovulating and non-ovulating women. In non-ovulating women, both between the 7th and 9th day and the 22nd and 25th day of the menstrual cycle, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was higher (P<0.02) than in their ovulating counterparts. In ovulating subjects, significant and inverse correlation was demonstrated between circulating estradiol and SOD activity in collected data from both follicular and luteal phases. Conclusions: Current results indicate that persistent ovarian hormone disturbances in regularly menstruating women, and resultant anovulation did not affect plasma lipid peroxidation and GSH-dependent erythrocyte antioxidant defense. However, lower plasma estradiol concentrations resulted in attenuated erythrocyte SOD inhibition and elevated enzyme activity. The mechanism of inhibitory estradiol action on erythrocyte SOD activity as well as the importance of this effect for antioxidant protection merits further studies. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

It has been suggested that estrogens, apart from their main functions (the stimulation of maturation and maintenance of the reproductive system, the cyclic maturation of the ova and secondary sex characteristics) may also possess antioxidant properties. 17β-estradiol was found to significantly decrease in vitro formation of single and double strand breaks in DNA induced by hydrogen peroxide alone or with copper [1]. Additionally, estrone, 17β-estradiol and estriol were shown to inhibit microsomal membrane phospholipid peroxidation induced by free radical-promoting agents [2]. In isolated rat hepatocytes, pharmacological doses of 17β-estradiol were found to reduce endogenous lipid peroxidation expressed as MDA concentration [3]. Moreover, antioxidant properties of progesterone were also postulated [4]. It is well known that red blood cells (RBCs) are especially vulnerable to oxidative damage because of their continuous exposure to oxygen and their high concentration of heme iron and polyunsaturated fatty acids. On the other hand, RBCs are well protected from oxidative stress by cytosolic (glutathione, gluthatione reductase, gluthatione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase) and membrane-bound (α-tocopherol) antioxidant systems [5]. In this study, we examined whether physiological fluctuations in plasma 17β-estradiol and progesterone concentrations due to the menstrual cycle affect blood antioxidant potential.

The aim of the study was to evaluate an influence of the menstrual cycle on the plasma concentrations of glycerol, free fatty acids (FFA), triacylglycerols (TG) and blood lactate (LA) in the recovery period after a 30 s Wingate test. Sixteen regularly menstruating women participated in the study. In all subjects a three month cycle control was performed with every day body temperature measurements, and then on the days 7-9 (follicular phase) and 20-23 (luteal phase) of the cycle the concentrations of 17-beta -estradiol and progesterone were measured. Women whose progesterone concentrations on the days 20-23 of the cycle exceeded 19 nmol/l were referred to as ovulatory (Group OV, n=7) and women with lower concentrations of progesterone in these days were referred to as anovulatory (Group AN, n=9). All women performed the Wingate test twice - on the days 7-9 and 20-23 of the menstrual cycle. Before exercise (10 min) and 40 min after exercise plasma concentrations of glycerol, FFA, TG and LA were measured. In ovulating women the mean post-exercise increase of glycerol concentration in the luteal phase (37.6 mu mol/l) was significantly (P <0.01) higher than in the follicular phase (20.9 mu mol/l). in anovulatory women the increase in glycerol concentration after exercise performed on the days 7-9 of the cycle (19.6 mu mol/l) did not differ significantly from ovulatory women (20.9 mu mol/l). There was no increase in post-exercise plasma glycerol concentration in women with anovulatory cycles on the days 20-23 of the cycle. Moreover, LA and TG concentrations after exercise performed by anovulatory women was significantly higher than in ovulatory ones on the days 20-23 of the cycle. Our results indicate that the of ovarian hormones exert an influence on plasma lipid levels during the recovery periods after a short-term intensive exercise probably affecting breakdown of plasma triacylglycerols. Moreover, in women with anovulatory cycles the uptake of lactate by skeletal muscles is probably decreased in the recovery phase after short-term exercise, since their blood LA concentrations were significantly higher than in ovulatory ones.

In the sample of 734 women, randomly chosen from the Warsaw population, we collected interviews dealing with menstrual cycle abnormalities. The frequency of amenorrhoea in this sample was 0.3% and that of oligomenorrhoea was 6.7%. Dysmenorrhoea (more or less pronounced) was apparent in 56.3% of women, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) was claimed by 40.5% women. For the assessment of the potential risk factors causing the menstrual cycle abnormalities we used an univariate and multivariate unconditional logistic analysis. The highest values of the oligo/amenorrhoea relative risk (RR = 5.6) were found in the youngest (< or = 16.4 y) group and among women using oral contraceptives. Dysmenorrhoea was more frequent among women who had no children (RR = 1.7) and RR for PMS was higher in women, who were previously pregnant (RR = 1.5) and in women who used oral contraceptives.