Abstract

Background: According to evidence, association between lipids, haemostatis, depressive symptoms and hostility is cloudy. In order to examine these relations in depth, menstrual cycle could serve as a natural model.
Objective: In the present study, we examined the association between lipids, haemostasis, symptoms of hostility and depression at 3 phases of the menstrual cycle in 59 healthy young women (23.0 ± 2.8 mean age ± SD).
Methods: Blood was drawn at follicular (FL), mid luteal (ML) and late luteal (LL) phase. At each visit, students completed the Zung Depression and Hostility and Direction of Hostility scales; following variables were measured: a) Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, Triglycerides b) PT, APTT, AT III, Proteins C and S, Plasminogen and Fibrinogen. Pearson´s and Spearman s rank correlation were used to determine the relation between variables. P<0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Data indicate that hormonal changes during premenstrual phase might interfere in the connection between haemostasis and lipid profile, as well as in the inverse relation between extroverted forms of hostility and atherogenic lipid ingredients. Hostility might enhance haemostasis in luteal phase, though it might weakens it before the ovulation. Finally, depressive symptoms do not influence lipids and haemostasis across all phases of the cycle.
Conclusion: Relations between hostility, and lipids and haemostasis in the young female population appear to differ markedly across the cycle, while this is not the case regarding depressive symptoms. In order to evaluate the relation between depression and the above biological markers, the menstrual cycle effect probably should not be taken into consideration.

Keywords: Menstrual cycle; Depressive symptoms; Hostility; Lipids; Haemostasis