Haematological and electrocardiographic variations during menstrual cycle

ABSTRACT

Menstruation coupled periodic bleeding from the blood vessels, at the time of shedding of the uterine mucosa has directed interest, more especially in the haematological changes during different phases of menstrual cycle. The present study was carried out on 30 healthy female medical students in the age group of 18 to 23 years with the normal menstrual cycle of 30 +/- 3 days. The various haematological parameter and electrocardiography were studied on the 2[nd], 11[th], 14[th] and 22[nd] day of menstrual cycle. The study reveals that the total leukocyte count and total platelet count significantly increased [p<0.001] around mid-cycle, however total eosinophil count significantly decreased [p<0.05] during the same period. Differential leukocyte count, bleeding time, clotting time, heart rate, P-R interval and Q-T interval did not show any significant change during different phases of menstrual cycle, although some mild changes were observed. This study was a moderate attempt to determine regular variation in the different haematological parameters and ECG during the different phases of menstrual cycle in normal healthy females and evaluate conflicting reports on the subjects: