ABSTRACT:

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a specific and sensitive noninvasive tool to evaluate cardiac autonomic activity. Our study focuses on using Heart Rate Variability to determine and compare cardiac autonomic status in asymptomatic and symptomatic menopausal women.

Methods: Subjects were categorized as asymptomatic menopausal women (n=50) and symptomatic menopausal women (n=50) based on 21 postmenopausal symptoms given in The Greene Climacteric Scale. ECG was recorded in a quiet room with the subject in supine position after 10 minutes of rest. Analog ECG signal was converted to digital by using National Instruments NI-DAQ 7.5 USBD 6008. HRV parameters like SDNN, E: I, LF nu, HF nu, LF/HF was calculated with the help of HRV software (version 1.1).

Results: There was a significant (p<0.001) decrease in SDNN, E/I ratio, HF nu and a significant (p<0.001) increase in LF nu, LF/HF in symptomatic women, compared with asymptomatic women.

Conclusion: In symptomatic menopausal women our study showed a significant reduction in parasympathetic activity and a significant increase in sympathetic activity. There was a shift in the sympathovagal balance towards sympathetic predominance among symptomatic menopausal women in contrast to asymptomatic menopausal women.

Keywords: Postmenopausal Symptoms, Heart Rate Variability.