Moderate alcohol intake and menstrual cycle characteristics

Abstract

Supported by a scholarship from Aarhus University Research Foundation. The Danish National Research Foundation has established the Danish Epidemiology Science Centre that initiated and created the DNBC. The cohort is furthermore a result of a major grant from this Foundation. Additional support for the DNBC is obtained from the Pharmacy Foundation, the Egmont Foundation, the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation and the Health Foundation. No conflict of interest declared.

Alcohol intake, reproductive hormones, and menstrual cycle function: a prospective cohort study

“…Covariates to include in our adjusted analyses were determined with the use of a review of the previous literature (12,15,16,19,35,41) and statistical testing for confounding identification. Variables retained in the final multivariable models included age (continuous); race (whitevs.…”

“…Although epidemiologic evidence has indicated that habitual moderate alcohol intake (1-2 drinks/d) is associated with reduced all-cause mortality and morbidity (2,3), the effect of alcohol intake on female reproductive function has not been clearly established (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19). It is challenging to study the effects of alcohol on female reproductive function because of the complex timedependent hormonal feedback loops that regulate the menstrual cycle and women's fertility coupled with alcohol's relatively rapid metabolism (20), which clear the body of alcohol in 12-24 h (21).…”

“…Although there have been large observational studies that evaluated chronic alcohol exposure and menstrual cycle function (15,16,19), studies that evaluated acute alcohol intake and menstrual cycle function have been limited to experimental studies that assessed alcohol-mediated changes in reproductive hormone concentrations in nonpregnant women (22)(23)(24)(25). The majority of these controlled studies showed relevant positive associations between acute, high alcohol ($2 drinks/d) administration and elevated estradiol and testosterone concentrations, which are believed to be the result of potentially several mechanistic pathways including changes in hepatic redox states (22)(23)(24)(25), the stimulation of the adrenal gland (26,27), and the aromatization of testosterone to estradiol (28).…”

Long and irregular menstrual cycles, polycystic ovary syndrome, and ovarian cancer risk in a population‐based case‐control study

“…A wide range of factors influence menstrual cycle characteristics, including body size, smoking, alcohol intake and physical activity, as well as pathologic conditions including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). [1][2][3][4][5] Approximately 85-90% of women with oligomenorrhea have PCOS, usually defined as cycle length >35 days. 6 However, the diagnostic criteria for PCOS has evolved over time.…”

Alcohol Consumption and Urinary Estrogens and Estrogen Metabolites in Premenopausal Women

“…There is some evidence that alcohol may influence the levels of sex hormones associated with increased risk of breast cancer, even at lower levels of alcohol intake; however, results have not been consistent across studies [7–10]. Supporting evidence derives from studies suggesting that alcohol ingestion has substantial effects on menstrual cycle characteristics, with non-drinkers more likely to experience longer and more irregular cycles [11–13]. …”