Assessment of Well-Being Across Menstrual Phases in Female Students

PURPOSE: In this study, we determined female nursing students' physical and mental state involvement by measuring heart rate variability and salivary α-amylase activity (αAMY). METHODS: The study included 108 students aged 20–21 with regular menstrual cycles. The basal body temperature method was used to determine the menstrual phases. Five indices were used: low and high frequency components, and their ratio, total power, and physical stress index. In addition, αAMY was measured using a salivary amylase monitor. A six-point scale was used for subjective mood evaluation. Repeated measures analysis of variance was performed for differences between groups, and the Tukey–Kramer method was used for multiple comparisons. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The results suggested that the physical fatigue of the luteal phase is carried over into the menstrual phase, and the symptoms concomitant with the menstrual phase may manifest as poor mood. Furthermore, parasympathetic activity and stress coping skills tended to be higher, and sympathetic activity was lower during the menstrual phase, suggesting that students are more relaxed during the menstrual period. CONCLUSION: Though the results were statistically not significant, the students were in a considerably better mood during the follicular phase than the menstrual phase, suggesting that the physical and mental states may differ between the early and late follicular phases. It may be possible to evaluate the mental and physical condition of female students by obtaining more values.