Few oligo-amenorrheic athletes have vasomotor symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether women with athletic oligo-amenorrhea have vasomotor symptoms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A mailed questionnaire was sent to 252 female athletes about vasomotor symptoms. Identical questions were also mailed to 1523 peri- and postmenopausal women. RESULTS: The prevalence of vasomotor symptoms was low in female athletes with oligo- and amenorrhea and similar to that found in athletes with regular menstruations. The prevalence was significantly lower than in menopausal women. Although more than a third of the menopausal women had hormone replacement therapy, 30% of them still had vasomotor symptoms at least every week compared with only 2% of the oligo-amenorrheic athletes. CONCLUSION: Vasomotor symptoms are very uncommon in oligo-amenorrheic athletes, although many of them are hypoestrogenic. It was suggested that one factor contributing to these symptoms around menopause is low hypothalamic activity of beta-endorphins, which makes the thermoregulatory centre labile. On the other hand, supraphysiological activity in hypothalamic beta-endorphins may cause the oligo-amenorrhea in athletes, but may stabilise the thermoregulatory centre and thus prevent hot flushes.

Concentrations of calcitonin gene-related peptide and neuropeptide Y in plasma increase during flushes in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the plasma concentrations of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), or neurokinin A (NKA) increase during hot flushes in postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms. DESIGN: Eight postmenopausal women (age range = 49-63 years) with vasomotor symptoms were included. During 1 day, repeated blood samples were taken between and during flushes; four samples were taken during each flush. The samples were analyzed for CGRP, NPY, and NKA using radioimmunoassay technique. RESULTS: The serum concentrations of CGRP and NPY increased significantly-73% and 34%, respectively-during the flushes (p = 0.018; p = 0.028), whereas the concentrations of NKA did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS: CGRP and NPY may be involved in the mechanisms that cause vasomotor symptoms.