Socioemotional correlates of self-reported menstrual cycle irregularity in premenopausal women

Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess health-related quality-of-life in cats with hyperthyroidism

BACKGROUND

Health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) assessment tools are becoming increasingly important for the assessment of diseases in veterinary medicine.

OBJECTIVES

To develop a tool to assess the HRQoL of hyperthyroid cats and their owners.

ANIMALS

Cats with hyperthyroidism (n = 229) and without hyperthyroidism (n = 322).

METHODS

Cross-sectional study design. A preliminary list of 28 questions relating to the HRQoL of hyperthyroid cats and the influence their cat's disease might have on owners was created. Each question consisted of 2 subquestions: (1) "how often does the item apply"; (2) "how strongly does the item affect HRQoL." The questionnaire was refined based on statistical analysis, including Mann-Whitney-U tests on each item, comparing the results from cats with and without hyperthyroidism. Internal consistency and reliability of the questions were measured by Cronbach's alpha (α). P < .05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

Overall, 25/28 questions were retained within the final HRQoL tool, which had an excellent internal consistency (α = .92). The tool produced a score between 0 and 382 (lower scores meaning better HRQoL). The median HRQoL score was 87.5 (range, 2-348) for cats with hyperthyroidism, and 27 (range, 0-249) for cats without (P < .001), suggesting the HRQoL was poorer in hyperthyroid cats.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE

This validated HRQoL tool is useful to reliably quantify the influence of hyperthyroidism on the quality-of-life of affected cats and their owners. In the future, it could be considered of assistance in the clinical assessment of cats with hyperthyroidism.

Associations between drinking water disinfection byproducts and menstrual cycle characteristics: A cross-sectional study among women attending an infertility clinic

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) have been shown to alter ovarian steroidogenesis and cause estrous cyclicity disturbance and prolongation in experimental studies, however human studies are lacking. We aimed to evaluate the cross-sectional associations between drinking water DBPs and menstrual cycle characteristics. A total of 1078 women attending an infertility clinic in Wuhan, China were included between December 2018 and January 2020. Characteristics of menstrual cycle were collected by questionnaires. Concentrations of dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) were measured in urine as biomarkers of drinking water DBPs. Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were used to evaluate the associations between urinary DCAA and TCAA concentrations and menstrual cycle characteristics. Higher urinary DCAA concentrations were associated with increased odds ratios (ORs) of irregular menstrual cycle (OR = 1.80; 95% CI: 0.97, 3.33 for the highest vs. lowest quartile; P for trend = 0.05) and long menstrual cycle (OR = 1.62; 95% CI: 0.97, 2.70 for the highest vs. lowest quartile; P for trend = 0.06), as well as prolonged variation in cycle length (β = 1.27 days; 95% CI: -0.11, 2.66 for the highest vs. lowest quartile; P for trend = 0.04). Higher urinary TCAA concentrations were associated with prolonged bleeding duration (β = 0.23 days; 95% CI: -0.06, 0.51 for the highest vs. lowest quartile; P for trend = 0.07). These results suggest that exposure to drinking water DBPs is associated with menstrual cycle disturbances. These findings are warranted to confirm in other studies.

Dispositional resilience as a moderator of the relationship between chronic stress and irregular menstrual cycle

PURPOSE

Menstrual-cycle irregularity may have an important influence on the subsequent development of chronic diseases. Several risk factors for irregular menstrual cycles have been detected, including stress. Our aim was to extend research on the link between chronic stress and menstrual-cycle irregularity and to assess potential protective factors, such as dispositional resilience, which we hypothesize to be associated with the maintenance or promotion of a healthy menstrual cycle.

METHODS

For this cross-sectional study, data on 696 healthy women aged 20-40 years were obtained. The women completed measures of chronic stress, dispositional resilience and menstrual-cycle irregularity. Furthermore, potential confounds were assessed.

RESULTS

Of the participants, 383 (55%) reported no current use of hormonal contraceptives; 313 (45%) reported current use hormonal contraception and were included as a control group. The results suggest that in women not using hormonal contraception, chronic stress (OR = 1.05, 95%CI = 1.02-1.08, p = 0.001) and dispositional resilience (OR = 0.43, 95%CI = 0.31-0.59, p < 0.001) have a main effect on menstrual cycle regularity. In addition, women with greater dispositional resilience have reduced risk for irregular menstrual cycles in the face of low to moderate chronic stress; however, this association is changed at the highest level of chronic stress.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that dispositional resilience may be a protective psychological trait that modulates reproductive functioning.

Impairment of ovarian function and associated health-related abnormalities are attributable to low social status in premenopausal monkeys and not mitigated by a high-isoflavone soy diet

BACKGROUND

Psychological stress may impair premenopausal ovarian function and contribute to risk for chronic disease. Soy isoflavones may also influence ovarian function and affect health. Here, we report the effects of a psychological stressor (subordinate social status) and dietary soy on reproductive function and related health indices in female monkeys. We hypothesized that reproductive compromise and adverse health outcomes would be induced in subordinate when compared with dominant monkeys and be mitigated by exposure to soy.

METHODS

Subjects were 95 adult cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) housed in social groups of five or six. Animals consumed a soy-free, animal protein-based diet during an 8-month Baseline phase and then, during a 32-month Treatment phase, consumed either the baseline diet or an identical diet that substituted high-isoflavone soy protein for animal protein.

RESULTS

Across more than 1200 menstrual cycles, subordinate monkeys consistently exhibited ovarian impairment [increased cycle length (P < 0.02) and variability (P < 0.02) and reduced levels of progesterone (P < 0.04) and estradiol (P < 0.04)]. Subordinate status was confirmed behaviorally and was associated with elevated cortisol (P < 0.04) and relative osteopenia (P < 0.05). Consumption of the soy diet had no significant effects.

CONCLUSIONS

(i) Psychological stress adversely affects ovarian function and related health indices in a well-accepted animal model of women's health; (ii) Similar effects may extend to women experiencing reproductive impairment of psychogenic origin; (iii) soy protein and isoflavones neither exacerbate nor mitigate the effects of an adverse psychosocial environment; and (iv) this study was limited by an inability to investigate the genetic and developmental determinants of social status.

Cardiovascular reactivity during dyadic social interaction: The roles of gender and dominance

The present study examined relationships among gender, trait dominance, and cardiovascular reactivity assessed during dyadic social interactions between same-gender and same-ethnicity participants. One-hundred sixty dyads, 76 comprised of African American participants and 84 comprised of European American participants, engaged in three 4-min discussions while their heart rate and blood pressure responses were assessed. All dyads were composed of unacquainted partners. Multilevel modeling for dyadic data revealed that trait dominance was significantly and positively associated with blood pressure reactivity during the discussions, but only among men who interacted with a highly dominant partner. The results of the present study add to the weight of the evidence identifying dominance as a social domain of significance for cardiovascular functioning, particularly among men. Potential reasons for gender-specific patterning are considered.