Purpose
The present study examined whether susceptibility to nausea and other symptoms of
vection-induced motion sickness vary as a function of phase of the menstrual cycle,
as research findings in this area are sparse and contradictory.
Design
Ninety young women (42 current users of oral contraceptives) were exposed to a rotating
optokinetic drum during the peri-menses or peri-ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle
in an independent-groups, quasi-experimental design. Nausea and motion sickness symptoms
were assessed using the Nausea Profile (NP) and the Subjective Symptoms of Motion
Sickness (SSMS) questionnaire.
Results
Among women not on oral contraceptives, reports of nausea and motion sickness by women
in the peri-menses phase were more severe than reports by women in the peri-ovulatory
phase. By contrast, among women taking oral contraceptives, reports of nausea and
motion sickness did not differ by the same categorical phase of the menstrual cycle.
Conclusions
We speculate that fluctuating estrogen levels over the course of the menstrual cycle
may influence the experience of or susceptibility to nausea and motion sickness during
illusory self-motion and other nauseogenic contexts.
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Biography
Robert L. Matchock, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University, Altoona. His research is focused on circadian and seasonal rhythms of physiology and behavior, with an emphasis on reproduction and menarche.
Biography
Max Levine, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Siena College. His work is focused on the psychophysiology of nausea and appetite, and explores interactions between behavior, psychosocial factors, and functioning of the gastrointestinal system.
Biography
Peter Gianaros, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. His work uses human imaging neuroscience methods to study the central regulation of autonomic and cardiovascular function in health and disease.
Biography
Robert Stern, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University. He studies the relationship of gastric and autonomic activity to nausea.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 16, 2008
Accepted:
January 28,
2008
Received:
July 18,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
