Abstract

Research Article

Neurovascular Shifts, Sensory Sensitivity, and PMDD in Autistic Women: Exploring Blood Flow Redirection, Mood Dysregulation, and Pain Tolerance during Menstruation

Piper Hutson and James Hutson*

Published: 30 September, 2024 | Volume 5 - Issue 2 | Pages: 062-068

This article examines the relationship between Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), neurovascular dynamics, and sensory sensitivities in autistic women during menstruation. The redirection of blood flow to the uterus during the menstrual cycle has been found to exacerbate cerebral perfusion deficits in neurodivergent individuals, particularly in the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC), which contributes to the mood dysregulation and emotional instability characteristic of PMDD. Autistic women, who often exhibit heightened sensory sensitivities, experience intensified discomfort during menstruation, as sensory overload and altered pain perception compound the emotional challenges of PMDD. These findings emphasize the need for neurodivergent-friendly menstrual products that mitigate both physical and emotional discomfort. Additionally, innovations using biodegradable materials, smart fabrics, and custom-fit menstrual solutions are discussed as potential breakthroughs to improve the quality of life for autistic women managing PMDD. This research highlights the importance of addressing both neurobiological and sensory aspects when designing interventions for PMDD in neurodivergent populations.

Read Full Article HTML DOI: 10.29328/journal.jcmhs.1001049 Cite this Article Read Full Article PDF

Keywords:

PMDD; Neurovascular dynamics; Autistic women; Sensory sensitivity; Mood dysregulation; Menstrual product innovation

References

  1. Huang J, Li Q, Lu J, Zhao G. PET/MR: functional and molecular imaging of neurological diseases. Neurosciences. 2023;369.
  2. Gothe NP, Erlenbach E, Garcia V, Malani R, Voss S, Camacho PB, et al. Yoga, aerobic and stretching exercise effects on neurocognition: randomized controlled trial protocol. Contemp Clin Trials. 2023;131:107240. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2023.107240
  3. Swihart A, Mathew R, Largen J. Menstruation and cerebral blood flow. Biol Psychiatry. 1989;25:654-657. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3223(89)90231-x.
  4. Favre M, Serrador JM. Sex differences in cerebral autoregulation are unaffected by menstrual cycle phase in young, healthy women. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2019;316(4). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00474.2018
  5. Li Y, Ma S, Zhang X, Gao L. ASD and ADHD: divergent activating patterns of prefrontal cortex in executive function tasks? J Psychiatr Res. 2024. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.02.012
  6. Flynn R. Impact of head injury on cognitive functioning and social cognition in UK-based female rugby players [dissertation]. University of East London; 2024. Available from: https://repository.uel.ac.uk/item/8x2yx
  7. Ossewaarde L, Hermans EJ, Wingen G, Kooijman S, Johansson I, Bäckström T, et al. Neural mechanisms underlying changes in stress-sensitivity across the menstrual cycle. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2010;35:47-55. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.08.011
  8. Peltonen G, Harrell J, Aleckson B, LaPlante K, Crain M, Schrage W. Cerebral blood flow regulation in women across menstrual phase: differential contribution of cyclooxygenase to basal, hypoxic, and hypercapnic vascular tone. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2016;311(2). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00106.2016
  9. Arslan R, Yanık D, Pekşen Akça R. Investigation of menstrual hygiene and self-care skills of adolescent girls with autism spectrum disorder: mother views. J Autism Dev Disord. 2024;1-9. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-024-06446-8
  10. Manikandan S, Nillni Y, Zvolensky M, Rohan K, Carkeek K, Leyro T. The role of emotion regulation in the experience of menstrual symptoms and perceived control over anxiety-related events across the menstrual cycle. Arch Women Ment Health. 2016;19:1109-1117. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-016-0661-1
  11. Qian H, Shao M, Wei Z, Zhang Y, Liu S, Chen L, Meng J. Intact painful sensation but enhanced non-painful sensation in individuals with autistic traits. Front Psychiatry. 2024;15:1432149. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1432149
  12. Zoltowski AR, Failla MD, Quinde-Zlibut JM, Dunham-Carr K, Moana-Filho EJ, Essick GK, et al. Differences in temporal profile of brain responses by pleasantness of somatosensory stimulation in autistic individuals. Somatosens Mot Res. 2023;1-16. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/08990220.2023.2294715
  13. Yasuda Y, Hashimoto R, Nakae A, Kang H, Ohi K, Yamamori H, et al. Sensory cognitive abnormalities of pain in autism spectrum disorder: a case-control study. Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2016;15:1-8. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12991-016-0095-1
  14. Liu N, Li Y, Hong Y, Huo J, Chang T, Wang H, et al. Altered brain activities in mesocorticolimbic pathway in primary dysmenorrhea patients of long-term menstrual pain. Front Neurosci. 2023;17:1098573. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1098573
  15. Vaughan S, McGlone F, Poole H, Moore D. A quantitative sensory testing approach to pain in autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. 2019;50:1607-1620. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-03918-0
  16. Steward R, Crane L, Roy E, Remington A, Pellicano E. “Life is much more difficult to manage during periods”: autistic experiences of menstruation. J Autism Dev Disord. 2018;48:4287-4292. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-018-3664-0
  17. Lundy KM, Fischer AJ, Illapperuma-Wood CR, Schultz B. Understanding autistic youths’ menstrual product preferences and caregivers’ product choices. Autism. 2024;13623613241275280. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241275280
  18. Moseley R, Druce T, Turner-Cobb J. ‘When my autism broke’: a qualitative study spotlighting autistic voices on menopause. Autism. 2020;24:1423-1437. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1362361319901184
  19. Gray LJ, Durand H. Experiences of dysmenorrhea and its treatment among allistic and autistic menstruators: a thematic analysis. BMC Womens Health. 2023;23(1):288. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-023-02370-8
  20. Zhang L, Zhao Y, Liu X, Chen J, Sun M, Zhang J, et al. Changes in sex hormones and their interactions are related to pain perception between different menstrual subphases. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2023;325(3). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1152%2Fajpregu.00275.2022
  21. Pfleeger M, Straneva PA, Fillingim RB, Maixner W, Girdler SS. Menstrual cycle, blood pressure and ischemic pain sensitivity in women: a preliminary investigation. Int J Psychophysiol. 1997;27(2):161-166. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0167-8760(97)00058-5
  22. Cervin M, Storch EA, Kendall PC, Herrington JD, Small BJ, Wood JJ, et al. Effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on core aspects of anxiety in anxious youth with autism. Res Autism Spectr Disord. 2023;107:102221. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2023.102221
  23. Hellström B, Anderberg UM. Pain perception across the menstrual cycle phases in women with chronic pain. Percept Mot Skills. 2003;96(1):201-211. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.2003.96.1.201
  24. Pergantis P, Drigas A. Sensory integration therapy as an enabler for developing emotional intelligence in children with autism spectrum disorder and the ICT’s role. Braz J Sci. 2023;2(12):53-65. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.14295/bjs.v2i12.422
  25. Steward T, Das P, Malhi GS, Bryant RA, Felmingham KL. Dysfunctional coupling of the parahippocampal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus during memory suppression in posttraumatic stress disorder. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2020;41:146-151. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.09.634
  26. Scott K, Schulz S, Moehrle D, Allman B, Cardy J, Stevenson R, et al. Closing the species gap: translational approaches to studying sensory processing differences relevant for autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res. 2021;14:1322-1331. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2533
  27. Morgan JE. Serum concentrations of protein S100B and the menstrual cycle [dissertation]. Appalachian State University; 2020. Available from: https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/Morgan_Jessica_August%202020_Thesis.pdf
  28. Resham G, Reshmi CR, Nair S, Menon D. Superabsorbent sodium carboxymethyl cellulose membranes based on a new cross-linker combination for female sanitary napkin applications. Carbohydr Polym. 2020;248:116763. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.116763
  29. Shibly M, Hossain M, Hossain M, Nur M, Hossain M. Development of biopolymer-based menstrual pad and quality analysis against commercial merchandise. Bull Natl Res Cent. 2021;45:1-13. Available from: https://bnrc.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s42269-021-00504-2
  30. Foster J, Montgomery P. A study of environmentally friendly menstrual absorbents in the context of social change for adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189766
  31. Woytuk N, Søndergaard M. Biomenstrual: more-than-human design of menstrual care practices. Temes de Disseny. 2022. Available from: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9884-0205
  32. Bataglioli RA, Kaur H, Muller J, Geddes E, Champine C, Hsu BB. A naturally derived biomaterial formulation for improved menstrual care. Matter. 2024;7(9):2941-2958. Available from: https://www.cell.com/matter/abstract/S2590-2385(24)00347-3
  33. Patterson R. The mass customization of sandal outsoles for female size outliers utilizing parametric modeling and 3D printing [dissertation]. Georgia Institute of Technology; 2020. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/1853/63681
  34. Greiwe J, Nyenhuis SM. Wearable technology and how this can be implemented into clinical practice. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2020;20:1-10. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11882-020-00927-3
  35. Prahl A. Designing wearable sensors for preventative health: an exploration of material, form, and function [dissertation]. University of the Arts London; 2015. Available from: https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/9077/
  36. Vogel W. Upcycling invasive species to address social issues: developing a compostable menstrual pad from water hyacinth. Available from: https://digital.library.txst.edu/items/da0e5de2-33e0-470c-960c-fabf2a20c4ab
  37. Barman J, Tirkey A, Batra S, Paul AA, Panda K, Deka R, et al. The role of nanotechnology-based wearable electronic textiles in biomedical and healthcare applications. Mater Today Commun. 2022;32:104055. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2022.104055
  38. Marzuki I, Sinardi S, Pratama I, Chaerul M, Paserangi I, Mudyawati M, et al. Performance of sea sponges micro symbionts as a biomaterial in biodegradation of naphthalene waste. In: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 2021;737(1):012016. IOP Publishing. Available from: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/737/1/012016
  39. Martínez-Barbosa ME, Moreno-Corral RA. Washable, reusable, and disposable medical textiles. In: Medical Textiles from Natural Resources. Woodhead Publishing; 2022;717-765. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90479-7.00017-8
  40. Reddy K, Taksande A, Kurian B. Harnessing the power of mobile phone technology: screening and identifying autism spectrum disorder with smartphone apps. Cureus. 2024;16(2). Available from: https://doi.org/10.7759%2Fcureus.55004
  41. Moisanen K, Huhtala S. Smart solutions for wellbeing service development and management-Winternational 6.0. 2024.
  42. Mancebo CPC. 3D printing and its possible role in the sustainability of the fashion market [dissertation]. 2023.
  43. Bashari A, Rouhani Shirvan A, Shakeri M. Cellulose-based hydrogels for personal care products. Polymers for Adv Technol. 2018;29(12):2853-2867. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1002/pat.4290
  44. Tizabi Y, Getachew B, Hauser SR, Tsytsarev V, Manhães AC, da Silva VDA. Role of glial cells in neuronal function, mood disorders, and drug addiction. Brain Sci. 2024;14(6):558. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14060558

Figures:

Similar Articles

Recently Viewed

Read More

Most Viewed

Read More

Help ?