ArticleBMC ophthalmology2025
OCTA-based assessment of macular and peripapillary vessel changes during the menstrual cycle.
Article in BMC ophthalmology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- The effect of physiological changes in estradiol hormone during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle in healthy women on retinal ganglion cell function, retinal and optic nerve vascularization and structure.Documenta ophthalmologica. Advances in ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Case Report: Perifoveal exudative vascular anomalous complex with secondary fundus hemorrhage.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- The Relationship Between OCT and VEP Parameters with Disability and Disease Duration in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTo investigate the effect of menstrual cycle-related hormonal fluctuations on retinal and choroidal microvasculature using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA).
methodsIn this prospective study, a cohort of 31 healthy women with regular menstrual cycles was enrolled. SS-OCTA imaging was performed during three standardized menstrual phases: early follicular (day 3), ovulatory (day 14), and mid-luteal (day 21). Macular and peripapillary regions were evaluated using 3 × 3 mm and 4.5 × 4.5 mm scan protocols, respectively. Vessel density (VD) in the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and choriocapillaris (CC) was automatically quantified using the device's software. Choroidal thickness (CT) was manually measured in all quadrants, and the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area was manually delineated by two independent graders. To control for diurnal variation, all measurements were conducted between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
resultsA statistically significant decrease in macular CT was observed across the menstrual phases (p = 0.002), along with significant variations in peripapillary CT in the temporal and inferior quadrants (p = 0.004 for both). VD in the peripapillary region showed significant differences in the superior quadrant of the SCP (p = 0.040), the inferior quadrant of the DCP (p = 0.008), and in the temporal and inferior quadrants of the CC (p = 0.011 and p = 0.007, respectively). In the macula, CC-VD in the inferior quadrant differed significantly (p = 0.030). FAZ area remained stable throughout the cycle. Post-hoc analysis revealed significant differences between the early follicular, ovulatory, and mid-luteal phases.
conclusionHormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle appear to influence both retinal and choroidal microvasculature, particularly in the choriocapillaris and peripapillary regions. These findings underscore the importance of considering menstrual phase when interpreting OCTA measurements in women of reproductive age, to improve diagnostic accuracy and consistency in clinical and research settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.