Case-control study, 1994
Does a parent's high blood pressure change how the cycle affects blood pressure and anger under stress?
Yes, in this small study family history mattered: women without a hypertensive parent had cycle-linked changes in blood pressure and anger, while women with a hypertensive parent did not show the same cycle pattern but had higher luteal-phase responses overall.
What they did
Researchers studied 30 healthy women aged 18-35, half of whom had a parent with high blood pressure. Each woman was tested once in her luteal phase and once in her follicular phase, with cycle phase confirmed by hormone blood tests. In each session she did four stress tasks: a cold pressor test, a speech task, a video game with mild shocks, and reading.
What they found
Women without a hypertensive parent had higher diastolic blood pressure and more state-anger during the speech task in the follicular phase than in the luteal phase. Women with a hypertensive parent showed no consistent cycle pattern, but in the luteal phase their diastolic blood pressure and state-anger during the speech task were higher than the other group's.
What it means for you
Family history of high blood pressure may change how the menstrual cycle influences blood pressure and anger responses to stress, but the study was small (30 women) and the authors themselves note limits in interpreting these family-linked differences.
30
women studied
18-35
age range
2
cycle phases tested (luteal, follicular)
About the study
- Original title
- Parental history of hypertension, menstrual cycle phase, and cardiovascular response to stress
- Authors
- Miller SB, Sita A
- Journal
- Psychosomatic medicine
- Year
- 1994
- Study design
- Case-control study
- What was tested
- Four stress tasks (cold pressor test, speech, video game, reading) given in both the luteal and follicular phases of the cycle
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/00006842-199401000-00008
Topics
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