Objective:

To investigate the impact of the menstrual cycle phase on Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) in premenopausal women undergoing laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery.

Approach:

• Study Design: Retrospective cohort analysis of premenopausal women with regular menstrual cycles from a randomized controlled trial.
• Participants: 240 women enrolled, categorized into non-luteal (119) and luteal (121) phases.
• Outcomes: Primary outcome was PONV during 0–24 h post-surgery; secondary outcomes included PONV during 25–120 h and incidence of nausea, emetic episodes, and antiemetic medications.
• Sensitivity Analyses: Evaluated associations between surgery-to-ovulation interval and cycle phase with outcomes.

Key Findings:

• No significant difference in PONV incidence between non-luteal and luteal groups during 0–24 h post-surgery (44.5% vs. 47.1%, adjusted odds ratio 1.10, 95% CI: 0.62–1.95, adjusted P = 0.735).
• No significant differences in PONV, nausea, emetic episodes, or antiemetic medications between groups during both timeframes.

Interpretation:

The study found no effect of menstrual cycle phase on the occurrence of PONV in premenopausal women undergoing laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery.

Limitations:

• The retrospective design may introduce bias, and the exclusion of women with irregular cycles limits the generalizability of the findings.

Conclusion:

The study concluded that menstrual cycle phases do not influence PONV in the studied population.