Abstract :
Background and Objectives: Menopause marks the period of many changes in women. The risk of cardiovascular disease increases after menopause. The autonomic nervous system responsible for control of many visceral functions is under the influence of female reproductive hormones. Hormonal changes after menopause bring alteration in these functions. This study was aimed to assess the physiological changes in the cardiovascular autonomic functions in healthy urban postmenopausal women.
Material and Methods: 72 healthy women were chosen for the study. They were divided into 2 groups of 36each, control group (premenopausal) and Study group (postmenopausal).
The parasympathetic function tests included the Heart rate response to postural change (30:15 ratio) heart rate variation during deep breathing(I-E difference), Heart rate response to valsalva maneuver (VR) and the sympathetic function tests like the blood pressure response to the Isometric handgrip (IHG) and the Blood pressure response to standing (BPS) were done in the control and study subjects.
Results: By the student ‘t’ test, we found the significant difference in mean of the heart rate response to deep breathing, the 30:15 ratio, the valsalva ratio and the IHG test, between premenopausal and postmenopausal women, with a ‘p’ value
Keyword :
Menopause, Cardiovascular autonomic functions