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Changes in Nociceptive Flexion Reflex Threshold Across the Menstrual Cycle in Healthy Women

Cristina Tassorelli, MD, PhD, Giorgio Sandrini, MD, Alberto Proietti Cecchini, MD, Rossella E. Nappi, MD, PhD, Grazia Sances, MD and Emilia Martignoni, MD

From the Psychophysiology of Pain and Pathophysiology of Integrative Autonomic Systems Laboratories, University Centre for Adaptive Disorders and Headache (UCADH) (C.T., G.S., A.P.C., G.S.), IRCCS "C. Mondino" Foundation; Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; the Department of Gynaecology (R.E.N.), IRCCS S. Matteo, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; and the University of Piemonte Orientale "A. Avogadro" (E.M.), Novara, Italy.



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  		Fig. 1. Changes in reflex threshold (Tr, upper panel) and subjective pain threshold (Tp, lower panel) during the follicular and the luteal phases in 14 healthy women. Thin lines illustrate single-subject variations, while the thicker line represents the mean value. The shaded gray areas located on the extremes of the thicker line represent the standard deviation limits. Student’s t test for paired data: follicular vs. luteal phase p< .05 for both Tr and Tp.

 


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  		Fig. 2. Pain MDQ score change across the menstrual cycle in healthy women. Data are represented as mean (histogram) ± standard error (line above the histogram). Student’s t test for paired data: follicular vs. luteal p< .04.

 


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  		Fig. 3. Correlation between total MDQ score recorded during the day preceding the luteal session and luteal reflex threshold (Tr). The Spearman analysis shows a significant correlation with a negative coefficient (R= .61, p< .03).

 




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