Peculiarities of indexes of autonomic regulation of blood circulation and heart rate variability in perimenopausal women

Objective: This study deals with investigation of cardiovascular system autonomic control in perimenopausal women taking into account the differences in their clinical status. Materials and Methods: We studied 185 perimenopausal women (59.3±8.5 years) and 104 women with conserved menstrual cycle (45.1±5.8 years). We estimated the general clinical status, presence of hot flushes, heaviness of climacteric syndrome (Kupperman index), sex hormone levels (estradiol, follicle stimulating hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and testosterone), indexes of heart rate variability (heart rate, SDNN, CV, RMSSD, PNN50, power of low and high frequency bands in ms2 and percents), and index S of synchronization between low-frequency (about 0.1 Hz) oscillations in heart rate variability and photoplethismograph. Results: We have not revealed statistically significant differences in the most of indexes of autonomic regulation of blood circulation (except heart rate) between the women groups with conserved menstrual cycle and in menopause. The majority of heart rate variability indexes correlated with the term of natural menopause (correlation coefficient r took values from 0.17 to 0.24). Remoteness of surgical menopause beginning correlated only with index S of synchronization between 0.1 Hz oscillations (r=-0.41, р=0.039). Statistically (not clinically) significant correlations were revealed between several indexes of autonomic regulation and sex hormone levels. Conclusion: We have not revealed clinically significant correlations between the indexes of cardiovascular system autonomic regulation and characteristics of menopausal status in women (sex hormone levels, hot flushes, and Kupperman index). However, we have shown statistically (not clinically) significant correlations between several indexes of autonomic regulation and remoteness of menopause beginning (SDNN, CV, RMSSD, PNN50, power of low and high frequency bands correlated with natural menopause while index S correlated with surgical menopause) and sex hormone levels.