Impact of the menstrual cycle phase on microvascular function at high altitude

Tagliapietra, Guia (author), Manferdelli, Giorgio (author), Citherlet, Tom (author), Raberin, Antoine (author), Narang, Benjamin J. (author), Debevec, Tadej (author), Millet, Grégoire P. (author)

Ovarian hormones may modulate key physiological functions that play a crucial role in the acute response to hypoxia. Women remain underrepresented in high-altitude physiology research. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the impact of menstrual cycle (MC) phases on resting skeletal muscle oxygen consumption and post-occlusive microvascular reactive hyperemia in the lower limbs during acute high-altitude exposure in eumenorrheic women. Microvascular function was assessed via vascular occlusion test in combination with near-infrared spectroscopy on the vastus lateralis muscle. Measurements were conducted at low altitude (1224 m) and after one night at 3375 m (inspired O$_2$ pressure: 96 ± 1 mmHg) during both the early follicular (EF) and mid-luteal (ML) phases. At high altitude, baseline tissue saturation index (TSI) (65.0 ± 4.8 vs. 66.1 ± 2.7 %; p = 0.559), desaturation rate (-0.086 ± 0.061 vs. -0.080 ± 0.039 %⋅s$^{-1}$; p = 0.920), normalized reperfusion slope (0.013 ± 0.010 vs. 0.014 ± 0.005 %⋅s$^{-1}$; p = 0.100) and minimum TSI (52.9 ± 6.8 vs. 53.9 ± 3.9 %; p = 0.647) did not differ significantly between EF and ML. Reperfusion rate decreased significantly from low (0.894 ± 0.320) to high altitude during both EF (0.661 ± 0.424; p = 0.027) and ML (0.722 ± 0.253; p = 0.027). These findings suggest that microvascular function is not significantly modulated by the MC at 3375 m. This study adds further evidence suggesting that no specific recommendation regarding the optimal menstrual cycle phase for acute high-altitude exposure is warranted.

• Language: English
• Keywords: acute high-sltitude exposure, female, post-occlusive microvascular reactive hyperemia, near-nfrared spectroscopy, vascular occlusion test
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 6 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 164, art. ǂ104898
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180087
• UDC: 796.01
• ISSN on article: 1095-9319
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mvr.2025.104898
• COBISS.SI-ID: 262387971
• Publication date in RUL: 02.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Microvascular research
• Shortened title: Microvasc. res.
• Publisher: Academic Press
• ISSN: 1095-9319
• COBISS.SI-ID: 25860313

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: visoka nadmorska višina, akutna izpostavljenost, ženke, post-okluzivna mikrovaskularna reaktivna hiperemija, spektroskopija bližnjega infrardečega sevanja, test vaskularne okluzije

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: J5-50180
• Name: Fem-Adapt: Mehanizmi hipoksične, vročinske in križne adaptacije pri ženskah