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Influence of Ovarian Hormones on Skeletal Muscle Contractility

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Integrative Biology of Women’s Health

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Abstract

There is a loss of skeletal muscle strength around the time of menopause in women, probably due to the decline of ovarian hormone production. The maintenance of muscle strength and contractility with age and with loss of ovarian hormones are critical issues because the risk for disability and dependent living increases with muscle weakness. There is substantial evidence that estradiol is beneficial to muscle strength. Thus, better understanding of the mechanisms by which estradiol affects contractility and how the loss of this hormone is detrimental to skeletal muscle function is critical. This chapter focuses on ovarian hormones, specifically how the lack of estradiol affects skeletal muscle contractility in both postmenopausal women and rodent models.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Dawn A. Lowe Ph.D.

  2. Department of Physiology & Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    Sarah M. Greising

Authors
  1. Dawn A. Lowe Ph.D.
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  2. Sarah M. Greising
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Correspondence to Dawn A. Lowe Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, Maryland, USA

    Espen E. Spangenburg

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Lowe, D.A., Greising, S.M. (2013). Influence of Ovarian Hormones on Skeletal Muscle Contractility. In: Spangenburg, E. (eds) Integrative Biology of Women’s Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8630-5_1

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