Menstrual cycle of food types has been found between PMS sufferers and non-sufferers. The different levels of ovarian hormones at different stages of the cycle have been used to explain eating behaviour changes. Progesterone has been shown to promote fat storage, causing a higher intake of fatty foods during the luteal phase when progesterone levels are higher. Additionally, with a high estrogen level dopamine is ineffective in converting to noradrenaline, a hormone which promotes eating, therefore decreasing appetite. In humans, the level of these ovarian hormones during the menstrual cycle have been found to influence binge eating. It is theorized that the
Navicular cell Navicular cell Navicular cell is a boat-shaped benign epithelial cell seen in Pap smear. They are seen in pregnancy (most prominently during smears taken in the second trimester), second half of menstrual cycle, during menopause and in women using medroxyprogesterone acetate (depo-provera) for contraception. Navicular cells have folded edges, with a thickened outer rim of cytoplasm and an eccentric nucleus. They contain abundant glycogen in the cytoplasm, giving it a central yellow halo. The cytoplasm appears golden, refractile and granular under the microscope. In depo-provera users, the high progesterone levels result in more exfoliation of superficial squamous cells, thereby causing