The Impact of Female Reproductive Function on Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury

Women's Health Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury

“…W-TBI were also less likely to obtain Pap smears within the recommended time interval, but this difference only approached significance ( p < 0.06). Our findings regarding menstrual functioning are consistent with those of Ripley et al, 10 who reported a significant increase in skipped periods after injury among women with mild to severe TBI. Injury severity was a significant predictor of amenorrhea among W-TBI in our study.…”

“…8,9 To date, only one study 10 has investigated preinjury and postinjury menstrual and reproductive functioning in a small sample of 30 women who were 1 and 3 years postinjury and had completed inpatient rehabilitation. The authors found that many participants' menstrual functioning changed after injury, with a significant increase in skipped menses postinjury and a tendency toward more painful periods.…”

Longitudinal sex and stress hormone profiles among reproductive age and post-menopausal women after severe TBI: A case series analysis

“…Adverse environmental conditions can facilitate a stress-induced decrease of GnRH frequency, resulting in low LH and FSH secretion, which causes functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA) [22]. Women often report menstrual cycle disruptions post-injury and severity of injury is shown to be predictive of duration of amenorrhea and poor global outcome [23].…”

Are there cognitive and neurobehavioural correlates of hormonal neuroprotection for women after TBI?

“…A second approach has been to study the post-injury effects of TBI on women's reproductive health. Compared with non-injured women, women with TBI were significantly more likely to have menstrual irregularities or amenorrhoea for up to 5 years post-TBI, suggesting that the injury itself is associated with circulating hormone levels (Colantonio et al, 2010;Ripley et al, 2008). A third approach has been to study possible therapeutic effects of administering female sex hormones, or selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), for both male and female rodents and humans following TBI (Gibson, Gray, Bath, & Murphy, 2008;Kokiko et al, 2006;Stein, 2001;Stein, Wright, & Kellermann, 2008;Wright, Hoffman, Virmani, & Stein, 2008;Xiao, Wei, Yan, Wang, & Lu, 2008).…”