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. 2012 Sep;118(3):242-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2012.04.014. Epub 2012 Jun 20.

Gynecologic disorders and menstrual cycle lightheadedness in postural tachycardia syndrome

Kiffany J Peggs  1 , Hovan Nguyen, Diba Enayat, Nancy R Keller, Ayman Al-Hendy, Satish R Raj
Affiliations

Gynecologic disorders and menstrual cycle lightheadedness in postural tachycardia syndrome

Kiffany J Peggs et al. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2012 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To assess differences in gynecologic history and lightheadedness during menstrual cycle phases among patients with POTS and healthy control women.

Methods: In a prospective, questionnaire-based study carried out at Paden Autonomic Dysfunction Center, Vanderbilt University, between April 2005 and January 2009, a custom-designed questionnaire was administered to patients with POTS (n=65) and healthy individuals (n=95). The results were analyzed via Fisher exact test and Mann-Whitney U test.

Results: Patients with POTS reported increased lightheadedness through all phases of the menstrual cycle phases as compared with healthy controls. Both groups experienced the greatest lightheadedness during menses, and a decrease in lightheadedness during the follicular phase. Patients with POTS reported a higher incidence of gynecologic diseases as compared with healthy controls.

Conclusion: The severity of lightheadedness was found to vary during the menstrual cycle, which may relate to changes in estrogen levels. Patients with POTS also reported an increase in estrogen-related gynecologic disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Perception of lightheadedness during different phases of the menstrual cycle. Shown is self-reported lightheadedness during different phases of the menstrual cycle for patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) (unbroken line) and healthy controls (broken line). Severity of lightheadedness varied depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle, peaking in the menstrual phase. At each phase, patients with POTS perceived greater lightheadedness compared with control individuals (menstrual P<0.001; follicular P=0.001; mid-luteal P=0.01; late-luteal P=0.026).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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