Comparative Study of Variations in Blood Glucose Concentration in Different Phases of Menstrual Cycle in Young Healthy Women Aged 18-22 Years.

Abstract

Hormones-estrogen and progesterone control the menstrual cycle in women. These hormones also affect the blood glucose. Many women notice fluctuations in blood glucose at certain times in their monthly cycle, such as an increase in blood glucose a few days prior to the beginning of their period and then a decrease once the period begins. This increase usually occurs after ovulation and before menstruation. These changes are caused by the hormones, estrogen and progesterone. When these hormones are at their highest level just before the menstruation, they affect another important hormone, insulin, which may in turn cause the blood glucose to rise. The study was carried out to know whether or not there are any consistent variations in the blood glucose levels in women with different phases of menstrual cycle and to compare the variations in blood glucose levels in different phases of menstruation between individuals. This study included 50 healthy women aged 18-22 years with regular menstrual cycles of 23-32 days who were non smokers and non alcoholics. Colorimetric technique was used for glucose measurement, enzyme linked immune sorbent assay technique (ELISA) for measurement of hormones. The results of the present study revealed significant increase in mean (±SD) values of serum glucose (p<0.0001) and serum progesterone levels (p<0.0001) with significant decrease of serum estradiol mean (±SD) values (p<0.0001) in luteal phase than follicular phase of menstrual cycle of healthy women. The rise in blood glucose concentration during luteal phase compared to follicular phase in the same subject and between the individuals indicated faster carbohydrate metabolism during follicular phase as compared to luteal phase. The reason is probably due to changes in the level of endogenous female sexual hormones particularly progesterone which causes insulin resistance.