08/15/2022
🚨 Did you know that there could be a correlation between worsening asthma symptoms and the menstrual cycle?
🚩 Between 10% and 40% of women have reported experiencing significantly worse asthma symptoms just before and during their period.
🚩 The hormonal fluctuations that women experience during their menstrual cycle is believed to be the reason behind this complex change in symptom severity.
🚩 For example, estrogen and progesterone have been found to drive inflammation in lung cells - whereas, testosterone has the opposite effect.
🚩 Progesterone has also been found to impair the hair-like structures found in the airway that are responsible for the expulsion of mucus and foreign debris. This can make the already existing inflammation even worse.
🚩 What makes this correlation even more confusing, is that the hormones in question are at their lowest concentrations at the times in which these symptoms appear. A lot more research is desperately required in this field to understand these patterns better and find solutions for women who are experiencing this.
Sources:
1. Chowdhury NU, Guntur VP, Newcomb DC, Wechsler ME. S*x and gender in asthma. European Respiratory Review. 2021
