OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the viability and the characteristics of shed endometrial tissues obtained from menstrual fluid during in-vitro culture. METHODS: The menstrual fluids were collected using Wallace catheter from uterine cavity in 10 women with regular menstruation. The menstrual fluids were washed twice, and the pellets, containing blood cells and shed endometrium, were collected and diluted fivefold with Ham's F-10 medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. The cell suspension was placed on culture dishes, and cultured for 7 days in an incubator. To evaluate the characteristics of the cultured endometrial cells, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed using anti-cytokeratin and anti-vimentin antibody. RESULTS: The mean volume of menstrual fluids and pellets were 0.7ml and 0.3ml, respectively. Only 15% of the shed endometrial tissues were attached and proliferated in culture dishes, which was considered to have viability. Initially, endometrial epithelial cells and fibroblasts were attached and proliferated, and the area of these cells was increased according to prolong the culture time. Stromal cell colonys were located and proliferated on the epithelial cells. IHC staining showed strongly positive for cytokeratin in epithelial cells and for vimentin in stromal cells. In the confocal microscopic observation of 3-dimensional structure of cultured endometrium, cytokeratin-positive cells (epithelial cells) were located in the pheriphery and cytokeratin-negative cells (stromal cells) inside of the structure. CONCLUSION: From our study, shed endometrial tissues in menstrual fluid showed meaningful viability and closed relationship between epithelial cells and stromal cells during in-vitro culture. Thus, we suggest that the in-vitro culture system of shed endometrium is a suitable model for researches of endometriosis.
Blood Cells ; Catheters ; Endometriosis ; Endometrium ; Epithelial Cells ; Female ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Incubators ; Keratins ; Menstruation ; Stromal Cells ; Vimentin

Serum levels of LH, FSH and prolactin and plasma levels of estradiol and progesterone were measured by radioimmunoassay from 8 healthy volunteers on no medication for at least 3 months prior to study and with histories of regular menstrual cycle. The following criteria were used to define a normal menstrual cycle:1) mid-cycle LH surge, 2) luteal phase duration between 12 and 16 days, 3) plasma progesterone levels above 5 ng/m1 5-10 days after LH surge. Six of eight cycles studied were considered normal. Serum levels of LH from 6 women were fair1y constant through the cycle, except at midcycle, when a surge occurred. The rapid increase of LH secretion was during the late follicular phase with a mean peak value of 147.5 mIU/ml. Concentration of FSH started to rise after the onset of menses and decreased slight1y during the late follicular phase. FSH rose sharply at midcycle with a mean peak value reaching 36.8 mIU/ml. Following the midcycle FSH and LH surge, FSH and LH decreased sharply and remained at lower concentration during the luteal phase than during the follicular phase. Serum prolactin concentrations fluctuated throughout the menstrual cycle. There was no peak value of prolactin concomitant to the LH peak. Plasma estradiol gradually increased during the follicular phase reaching a maximum of 354.3 pg/ml prior the midcycle LH surge. Following its peak, the level of estradiol dropped sharply and started to increase from the 3rd day after LH peak, rising to 235.9 pg/ml during the midluteal peak. Plasma progesterone levels remained consistently low during the follicular phase and started to rise after the midcycle surge of LH. This rise persisted from day 5 to day 9 after the LH surge, showing a mean value of 26.1 ng/m1. Afterward, a sharp decline occurred resulting in menstruation. Two cycles studied were considered abnormal. Both cycles showed a "short luteal phase".
Estradiol/blood ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood ; Gonadotropins, Pituitary/blood* ; Human ; Korea ; Luteinizing Hormone/blood ; Menstruation* ; Progesterone/blood ; Prolactin/blood ; Sex Hormones/blood*

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking for menstrual headache and to discuss its mechanism.

METHODSEighty-five patients with menstrual headache were randomly divided into an observation group (43 cases) and a control group (42 cases). The observation group was treated with body acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking and the control group was treated with flunarizine hydrochloride capsules orally. The treatments of 3 menstrual cycles were required. The clinical efficacy was observed in the two groups. The content of serum prostaglandin F2α, (PGF2α) and plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the menstrual periods of some patients randomly selected in the two groups was tested before and after treatment and was compared with that of 20 cases in a normal group. Results The total effective rate was 95.4% (41/43) in the observation group which was obviously superior to 81.0% (34/42) in the control group (P<0.01). Before treatment, the content of serum PGF2α and plasma AVP of patients in the two groups was higher than that in the normal group (all P<0.01). After treatment,the content of serum PGF2α and plasma AVP was lower than that before treatment in the two groups (P<0.01, P<0.05). The content of serum PGF2α in the observation group was decreased significantly compared with that in the control group (P<0.05) and returned to the level of the normal group.

CONCLUSIONBody acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking achieves positive efficacy for menstrual headache and its mechanism could be related to regulating the abnormal levels of serum PGF2α and plasma AVP.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Arginine Vasopressin ; blood ; Dinoprost ; blood ; Female ; Headache ; blood ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Menstruation ; Premenstrual Syndrome ; blood ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

A 29-year-old woman presented with secondary amenorrhea, primary infertility, and virilization, which had developed over the past 2 years was suspected to have a virilizing tumor at her left ovary. Her serum testosterone level was markedly elevated (380 ng/dL). Left salpingooophorectomy was performed, and histopathological examination revealed a thecoma of the left ovary. The postoperative serum testosterone level returned to 65 ng/dL. The patient did not have regression of virilism soon. However, the patient had a normal menstruation 29 days after surgery and gave birth to a baby 13 months after surgery.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Menstruation ; Ovarian Neoplasms/blood/*complications/*surgery ; Ovariectomy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Testosterone/blood ; Thecoma/blood/*complications/*surgery ; Virilism/blood/*etiology/surgery

Menopause is the time at which menstruation stops in women. After menopause, women are more susceptible to some diseases, especially osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D has a protective effect against osteoporosis by facilitating the absorption of calcium and affecting parathyroid hormone. Vitamin D also affects cardiovascular function by lowering the blood pressure, which affects the renin–angiotensin system and alters the low-density lipoprotein receptor activity. This paper discusses supplemental vitamin D in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
Absorption ; Blood Pressure ; Calcium ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause ; Menstruation ; Osteoporosis ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Receptors, Lipoprotein ; Vitamin D* ; Vitamins*

To determine how endometrium alone would contribute to maintaining the circulating levels of Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 in vivo, serum immunoreactive IGFBP-1 levels were measured in 19 patients undergoing endometrial ablation using gynecologic resectoscopy. After endometrial ablation there was a significant decrease in the mean levels of circulating IGFBP-1, which was not correlated with the menstrual cycle. This result indicates that the endometrium is one of the sources of the circulating IGFBP-1.
Adult ; Endometrium/surgery* ; Endoscopes ; Female ; Human ; Insulin-Like Growth-Factor Binding Protein 1/blood* ; Menstruation ; Middle Age

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is usually developed after infection, metastatic cancer or complicated pregnancy. We experienced a case of infertile woman with adenomyosis, who had not been predisposed any common risk factors but had acute DIC during menstruation after controlled ovarian stimulation. The patient received anticoagulation therapy with supplementation of coagulation factors, followed by surgical removal of uterus 3 months later. We assumed that DIC resulted from rapidly aggravated lesion during controlled ovarian stimulation and massive intramuscular hemorrhage during menstruation. So, we report the case with brief review of literatures.
Adenomyosis ; Blood Coagulation Factors ; Dacarbazine ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Infertility ; Menstruation ; Ovulation Induction ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Uterus

OBJECTIVETo determine the effect of chemotherapy on ovarian endocrine function and menstruation.

METHODSMenstruation and serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol (E2) levels were observed when the patients with ovarian cancer undergoing one side ovarectomy were followed by chemotherapy.

RESULTSAbnormal menstruation occurred in 86.7% cases, including 80% amenorrhea and 6.7% oligomenstruate. Menstruation resumed around 2 months after chemotherapy. Serum LH, FSH levels rose and E2 level declined during amenorrhea. No significant change was observed in progesterone or testosterone levels.

CONCLUSIONSOvary function impairment may occur in ovarian cancer patient treated by one side ovarectomy followed by chemotherapy. Serum LH, FSH, and E2 levels change and abnormal menstruation are two common manifestations. However, chemotherapy-related amenorrhea is reversible.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Amenorrhea ; etiology ; Child ; Estradiol ; blood ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Menstruation ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Ovariectomy ; Ovary ; physiopathology

The identification of menstrual blood belongs to the forensic examination of bloodstains. The traditional methods for detecting menstrual blood were reviewed and their obstacles in forensic application were discussed. Matrix metalloproteinase-11 is a kind of protease which degrades the extracellular matrix. Some researches had indicated that matrix metalloproteinase-11 might be a new marker for specifically and sensitively detecting menstrual blood. The structure, function of matrix metalloproteinase-11 and its application in menstrual blood identification were reviewed.
Blood Stains ; Female ; Forensic Medicine/methods* ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 11/metabolism* ; Menstruation/blood* ; RNA, Messenger/blood* ; Retrospective Studies ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels are regarded as an age-specific marker for predicting the ovarian reserve in women of reproductive age. Some studies have shown that the luteinizing hormone (LH)/follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio can be used as a predictor of ovarian reserve. The purpose of this study was to assess the variation of LH/FSH ratio with aging and to evaluate the correlation between serum LH/FSH ratio and AMH levels as a predictor of the ovarian reserve in normo-ovulatory women. We retrospectively analyzed the day 3 serum hormone levels in 1,251 patients (age range: 20-50 yr) between January 2010 and January 2011. We divided the patients into 6 groups according to their age. Relation between serum AMH level and LH/FSH ratio was analyzed statistically. The serum AMH level was inversely correlated with age (r = -0.400, P < 0.001). A significant negative correlation was found between serum LH/FSH ratio and age (r = -0.213, P < 0.001). There was a significant partial correlation between serum LH/FSH ratio and AMH level when adjusted by age (r = 0.348, P < 0.001). The LH/FSH ratio could be considered as a useful marker for the ovarian reserve and could be applied to the clinical evaluation with AMH.
Adult ; Aging/blood ; Anti-Mullerian Hormone/*blood ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/*blood ; Humans ; Luteinizing Hormone/*blood ; Menstruation/blood/physiology ; Middle Aged ; Ovarian Reserve/*physiology ; Ovulation/*blood/physiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult