Short- and Long-Term Impact of Exogenous Hormones on Thermoregulation in Women

IF 1.9 4区医学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY

American Journal of Human Biology Pub Date : 2026-09-07 DOI:10.1002/ajhb.70325

Cara Wall-Scheffler, Martin Hora

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Abstract

Objectives

How the body changes its methods of thermoregulation as part of the female ovarian cycle is a crucial aspect of human adaptive strategies to negotiate variable environments and tasks. The use of exogenous hormones to manage the ovarian cycle is a regular part of modern life but its long-term impact on thermoregulation, particularly while moving, continues to be understudied.

Methods

Here, we specifically track adults (N = 35) including men, women of known ovarian phases, and women on an estrogen-progesterone combination pill, doing the same walking and resting protocol while their core body temperature was monitored continuously and their blood perfusion was monitored regularly. Blood perfusion was normalized to maximum blood flow, and lines were fit to the blood flow during exercise and during rest; the slope of these lines was used to analyze blood flow of the different endocrine groups.

Results

Women on the pill showed significantly higher core temperatures (x¯ = 38.16°C) than women not on the pill (luteal x¯ = 37.85°C; follicular x¯ = 37.69°C) and men (x¯ = 37.80°C) (p = 0.02). Women in the luteal phase showed the most shallow slopes of blood perfusion (between −0.14 and 0.07), whereas all other endocrine groups showed slopes ranging from −0.31 to 0.15. Endocrine group significantly impacted the slope of blood perfusion during resting and walking (p = 0.059).

Conclusions

Given the different core temperatures, the similarity in the amount and pattern of blood perfusion between women on the pill and women in the follicular phase was not enough to substantially lower the core temperature of women on the pill. Another mechanism besides blood flow is necessary to explain the substantial difference in core body temperature maintained by women on the pill throughout the experimental period. These results suggest that core temperature does not automatically trigger blood perfusion as a mechanism of cooling for women on the pill. Additionally, women in the luteal phase must use other, non-vascular, mechanisms to cool the body during exercise. Finally, the thermoregulatory responses of people on a combination pill do not match the thermoregulatory responses of people in the luteal phase; studies which conflate these two should use caution in their interpretation.

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外源性激素对女性体温调节的短期和长期影响。

目的：作为女性卵巢周期的一部分，身体如何改变其体温调节方法是人类适应策略以应对可变环境和任务的关键方面。使用外源性激素来管理卵巢周期是现代生活的常规部分，但其对体温调节的长期影响，特别是在运动时，仍未得到充分研究。方法：在这里，我们专门跟踪成人（N = 35），包括男性、已知卵巢期的女性和服用雌激素-黄体酮联合避孕药的女性，在进行相同的步行和休息方案的同时，持续监测他们的核心体温，并定期监测他们的血液灌注。血流灌注归一化为最大血流量，线条拟合运动和休息时的血流量；这些线的斜率被用来分析不同内分泌组的血流量。结果：服用避孕药的女性的核心温度（x¯= 38.16°C）明显高于未服用避孕药的女性（黄体x¯= 37.85°C；卵泡x¯= 37.69°C）和男性（x¯= 37.80°C）（p = 0.02）。黄体期女性的血流灌注斜率最浅（在-0.14 - 0.07之间），而其他内分泌组的斜率在-0.31 - 0.15之间。内分泌组对静息和行走时血流灌注斜率有显著影响（p = 0.059）。结论：在核心温度不同的情况下，服用避孕药的女性与卵泡期女性在血液灌注量和模式上的相似性不足以显著降低服用避孕药的女性的核心温度。除了血液流动之外，还有另一种机制可以解释服用避孕药的女性在整个实验期间保持的核心体温的巨大差异。这些结果表明，对于服用避孕药的女性来说，核心温度不会自动触发血液灌注作为降温机制。此外，处于黄体期的女性必须在运动中使用其他非血管机制来冷却身体。最后，服用复方避孕药的人的体温调节反应与处于黄体期的人的体温调节反应不匹配；将这两者混为一谈的研究在解释时应谨慎。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American Journal of Human Biology 生物-生物学

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

13.80%

发文量

124

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The American Journal of Human Biology is the Official Journal of the Human Biology Association. The American Journal of Human Biology is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed, internationally circulated journal that publishes reports of original research, theoretical articles and timely reviews, and brief communications in the interdisciplinary field of human biology. As the official journal of the Human Biology Association, the Journal also publishes abstracts of research presented at its annual scientific meeting and book reviews relevant to the field. The Journal seeks scholarly manuscripts that address all aspects of human biology, health, and disease, particularly those that stress comparative, developmental, ecological, or evolutionary perspectives. The transdisciplinary areas covered in the Journal include, but are not limited to, epidemiology, genetic variation, population biology and demography, physiology, anatomy, nutrition, growth and aging, physical performance, physical activity and fitness, ecology, and evolution, along with their interactions. The Journal publishes basic, applied, and methodologically oriented research from all areas, including measurement, analytical techniques and strategies, and computer applications in human biology. Like many other biologically oriented disciplines, the field of human biology has undergone considerable growth and diversification in recent years, and the expansion of the aims and scope of the Journal is a reflection of this growth and membership diversification. The Journal is committed to prompt review, and priority publication is given to manuscripts with novel or timely findings, and to manuscripts of unusual interest.