Acute stress may induce ovulation in women

Table 3 Effect of ovarian cycle on acute-stress-induced LH release.

Species	Stressor	Phase of the cycle	LH release	References
Rats	Placed in a mating cage without a male or laparotomy	Persistent-vaginal-estrus (estradiol levels similar to the levels on the morning of proestrus)	Positive (inferred by ovulation)	[63]
	Laparotomy	On the morning of proestrus	Advance of the time of the primary LH surge	[38]
		On the morning of diestrus-2	Delay of the time of the primary LH surge (and ovulation)	[64]
	Intracerebroventricular injection of interleukin-1α or β	On the morning of proestrus	Inhibition of the primary LH surge (and ovulation)	[65]
	Rapid blood volume depletion	At diestrus (combined diestrus-1 and 2)	Positive	[66]
Rhesus monkeys	30-min chair restraint	Mid-follicular and mid-luteal phases	Positive	[67]
	30-min intracerebroventricular administration of interleukin-1α	Mid-follicular phase	Positive	[41]
		Early follicular phase	No release	[41]
Women	Bilateral ovariectomy plus total hysterectomy	Mid- to late-follicular phase	Positive	[43]
		Early- to mid-luteal phase	No release	[43]
	Cholecystectomy	Early- to mid-follicular	Positive	[42]
	Progressive submaximal treadmill exercise to exhaustion	Mid-follicular and mid-luteal phase	No release	[69]
	90-min submaximal bicycle exercise	Mid-follicular and mid-luteal phase	Decreased plasma levels of LH	[46]
	60-min progressive submaximal treadmill exercise	Mid-follicular phase	Positive	[49]
		Mid-follicular phase	Positive	[53]
		Mid-luteal phase	No release	[70]

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