par Lisa, Patiny LP;Carpentier, Marine 
;Rabineau, Jérémy ;Faoro, Vitalie
Référence FIRRI (04/04/2025: Brussels, Belgium)
Publication Publié, 2025-04-04
;Rabineau, Jérémy ;Faoro, Vitalie Référence FIRRI (04/04/2025: Brussels, Belgium)
Publication Publié, 2025-04-04
Poster de conférence
| Résumé : | Background: Over the past two decades, only ~35% of sport’s health research has includedwomen (1), largely due to limited understanding and lack reference values about the effects ofsex steroid hormones changes on many physiological systems (2). Among these, the autonomicnervous system (ANS) and cardiovascular system remain particularly understudied (3,4).Aim: The objective of this study is to determine whether heart rate variability (HRV) ismodified in women using oral monophasic oral contraceptives of the 2nd and 4th generationthroughout the menstrual cycle.Methods: HRV, reflecting the ANS modulation of the cardiac function, was assessed in 14healthy women—5 using 2nd-generation contraceptive pills and 9 using 4th-generationcontraceptive pills. Electrocardiogram was recorded during a strict 30-minute restingcondition: supine position, spontaneous breathing, eyes open, and minimal exposure to visualand auditory stimuli. Participants were tested at the same time of the day at three specific timepoints of the menstrual cycle, in a randomized order: early follicular phase (Day 2 ofmenstruation), the mid-follicular phase (Day 12), and the mid-luteal phase (Day 21). The firstday of the cycle was determined as the first day of pill withdrawal.Results: Among the fourteen HRV parameters analyzed, three exhibited significant variationsacross the cycle. Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD) and Short-termPoincaré plot parameter (SD1), both markers of parasympathetic activity, decreased in themid-luteal phases as compared to the early follicular (both p = 0.025) and the mid-follicularphase (both p = 0.008). Additionally, standard deviation of NN intervals (sDNN), reflectingoverall HRV variability, showed a significant decrease between the mid-follicular and midluteal phases (p = 0.042).Conclusion: In women using monophasic hormonal contraception, sex hormone levels remainstable and low. Therefore, minimal or no physiological modifications would be expectedthroughout the cycle due to hormonal fluctuations.The few significant results observed indicate the same trend of decreased para-sympatheticinfluence, meaning reduced autonomic flexibility, which can indicate physiological stress ordecreased adaptability during the luteal phase. This appears to be similar to that of womenwithout contraception with a relative shift toward sympathetic dominance in the later phase.These results indicate that even in the absence of endogenous hormonal fluctuations,autonomic modulation may still follow a subtle cycle-like pattern. This autonomic shift couldcontribute to premenstrual symptoms such as increased heart rate, heightened stress response,and mood alterations, even in women using hormonal contraception.References:1. Costello, J. T., Bieuzen, F., & Bleakley, C. M. (2014). Where are all the female participants in Sports andExercise Medicine research? European Journal of Sport Science, 14(8), 847–851.https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2014.9113542. Brown, Elizabeth J., Prium Deshmukh, and Karen Antell. ‘Contraception Update: Oral Contraception’.FP Essentials 462 (November 2017): 11–19.3. Kleijn, Miriam J. J. de, Yvonne T. van der Schouw, André L. M. Verbeek, Petra H. M. Peeters, Jan-DirkBanga, and Yolanda van der Graaf. ‘Endogenous Estrogen Exposure and Cardiovascular MortalityRisk in Postmenopausal Women’. American Journal of Epidemiology 155, no. 4 (15 February 2002): 339–45. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/155.4.339.4. Novella, Pérez-Cremades D, Mompeón A, and Hermenegildo C. ‘Mechanisms Underlying theInfluence of Oestrogen on Cardiovascular Physiology in Women’. The Journal of Physiology 597, no. 19(October 2019). https://doi.org/10.1113/JP278063 |
