UTSW Research: Female Sex Hormones Fluctuations
For decades, researchers have believed that women taking oral contraceptives maintain stable levels of sex hormones throughout each monthly cycle. However, a new study published in the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, led by Yasin Dhaher, Ph.D., Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, reveals the opposite. Utilizing liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry, the researchers measured hormone levels every other day over a 28-day cycle in 16 women on combination monophasic oral contraceptives. The results showed significant fluctuations in blood concentrations of both exogenous and endogenous sex hormones throughout the cycle. These findings could greatly impact clinical studies involving women, suggesting the potential for more precise and personalized dosing of oral contraceptives to minimize unwanted side effects. Additionally, they offer new avenues for treating medical conditions influenced by sex hormones, such as musculoskeletal and neurological disorders.
UTSW Research: Female Sex Hormones Fluctuations