Reduced vagal tone in women with adenomyosis

Adenomyosis is a condition in which the inner lining of the uterus is found in the muscular wall of the uterus (called the myometrium). It is a common gynecological disease affecting mostly women of reproductive age. We found that patients with adenomyosis exhibited significant imbalance between the 'flight-or-fight' system and the 'rest-and-digest' system (sympatho-vagal imbalance), featuring reduced vagal tone (dampened calm-down system) and increased sympathetic activity (more anxiety and restlessness). In addition, we found that the stiffness of adenomyotic lesions, which can be viewed as a proxy for the 'age' of the lesions, was negatively associated with vagal tone. This reduced vagal tone may suggest that perhaps some vagal stimulating procedures, which are safe and non-invasive, can be used to boost vagal tone to achieve therapeutic purposes.