Gifford Robert M, O'Leary Thomas J, Knight Rebecca L, Wardle Sophie L, Doig Craig L, Anderson Richard A, Greeves Julie P, Reynolds Rebecca M, Woods David R
University/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Academic Department of Military Medicine, Research & Clinical Innovation, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
J Appl Physiol (1985). 2025 Jan 1;138(1):13-21. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00691.2024. Epub 2024 Nov 26.
Reproductive endocrine function adapts to psychological, environmental, and energy-associated stressors. Multistressor environments upregulate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, causing suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, but it is not known if this pattern or its magnitude is sex biased. We compared HPG and HPA axis activity in 9 men and 34 women undergoing Army training. One-hour low-dose gonadorelin and Synacthen tests were conducted at 1 and 29 wk, measuring gonadotrophins and cortisol. Cortisol was measured from hair every 3 mo. Morning and evening salivary cortisol and psychometric questionnaires were measured at six timepoints. Sexes were compared over time by two-way ANOVA. Gonadotrophin responses were significantly higher in women than men in , but no sex difference was seen at (no significant sex × time interaction). cortisol response was higher among men, but cortisol response was higher among women (sex × time = 18.0, < 0.001). Hair cortisol was higher among women than men beforehand, not different between sexes during the first 3 mo, and significantly higher among women during training - ( = 3.25, = 0.024). Morning salivary cortisol was higher among women in and , but higher among men in ( = 4.0, = 0.005). No differences were seen in evening salivary cortisol. Psychometrics did not change or differ between sexes. HPA axis responses to military training were greater among women than men. HPG axis responses suggest greater downregulation among women. These findings will enable equitable and individualized management of people undergoing periods of intensive physical stress. We conducted a comprehensive comparison of adrenal and reproductive function in men and women undergoing 11-mo military training. We found progressively elevated cortisol levels and dynamic cortisol response to stress among women, but not men, and suppression of reproductive function among women. The physiological impact of stressful military training was greater among women than men; this could not be explained by energy balance, and sex-specific effects of sleep, socio-ethnographic, or other stressors may be responsible.
生殖内分泌功能会适应心理、环境以及与能量相关的应激源。多应激源环境会上调下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴，导致下丘脑-垂体-性腺（HPG）轴受到抑制，但尚不清楚这种模式或其程度是否存在性别差异。我们比较了9名男性和34名接受陆军训练的女性的HPG和HPA轴活性。在第1周和第29周进行了1小时低剂量促性腺激素释放素和合成促肾上腺皮质激素试验，测量促性腺激素和皮质醇。每3个月从头发中测量一次皮质醇。在六个时间点测量早晚唾液皮质醇和心理测量问卷。通过双向方差分析比较不同时间的性别差异。在[具体时间段1]，女性促性腺激素反应显著高于男性，但在[具体时间段2]未观察到性别差异（无显著的性别×时间交互作用）。[具体时间段1]男性的皮质醇反应较高，但[具体时间段2]女性的皮质醇反应较高（性别×时间F = 18.0，P < 0.）头发皮质醇在训练前女性高于男性，在前3个月两性之间无差异，在训练期间 - 女性显著高于男性（F = 3.25，P = 0.024）。在[具体时间段1]和[具体时间段2]，女性早晨唾液皮质醇较高，但在[具体时间段3]男性较高（F = 4.0，P = 0.005）。晚上唾液皮质醇未观察到差异。心理测量在性别之间没有变化或差异。女性对军事训练的HPA轴反应比男性更大。HPG轴反应表明女性的下调程度更大。这些发现将有助于对经历高强度身体应激时期的人群进行公平且个性化的管理。我们对接受11个月军事训练的男性和女性的肾上腺和生殖功能进行了全面比较。我们发现女性的皮质醇水平逐渐升高且对应激的动态皮质醇反应增强，而男性则不然，并且女性的生殖功能受到抑制。压力性军事训练对女性的生理影响大于男性；这无法用能量平衡来解释，睡眠、社会人种学或其他应激源的性别特异性影响可能是原因所在。
