Cortisol levels during the menopausal transition and early postmenopause

Abstract

Aims-Cortisol levels rise among some women during the late stage of the menopausal transition, but we know little about changes in cortisol levels in relation to menopause-related factors (menopausal transition (MT) stage, urinary estrone glucuronide, testosterone, FSH), stress-related factors (epinephrine, norepinephrine, perceived stress), symptoms (hot flashes, mood, memory and sleep), social factors (income adequacy, role burden, social support, employment, parenting, and history of sexual abuse) and health-related factors (depressed mood, perceived health, physical appraisal, BMI, and smoking). Aims were to examine the influence of menopause-related factors, stress-related factors, symptoms, social, and health-related factors on cortisol levels during the menopausal transition.Methods-A subset of Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study participants who provided data during the late reproductive, early and late MT stages or early postmenopause (PM) and who were not using hormone therapy or corticosteroids (N=132 women, up to 5218 observations) including menstrual calendars for staging the MT, annual health reports, health diaries, and overnight urine specimens (assayed for cortisol, catecholamines, estrone glucuronide and FSH) between 1990 and 2005 were included. Perceived stress, symptoms, and health behaviors were assessed in a health diary. Health-related and social factors were assessed in an annual health update. Multilevel modeling was used to test effects of menopause-related and other factors on overnight cortisol levels.Results-When tested with age as a measure of time, menopause-related covariates, including estrone glucuronide (E1G), FSH, and testosterone were associated with significant increases in overnight cortisol levels (p<.0001). Likewise, epinephrine and norepinephrine were each associated significantly with overnight cortisol levels (p<.0001). In multivariate analyses, E1G, FSH, and testosterone constituted the best set of predictors.Conclusions-Overnight cortisol levels during the MT were associated with E1G, testosterone, and FSH levels. In addition, they were significantly and positively associated with epinephrine and norepinephrine. MT stage, symptoms, and social, stress-related, and health-related factors had little relationship to overnight cortisol levels when other biological indicators were considered.Cortisol plays an important role in mobilizing responses to psychobiological load. 1 The diurnal pattern of cortisol is linked to sleep-wake patterns, eating, physical activity, and challenges in life. Beginning in the third decade of life, cortisol levels in women and men increase gradually NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptMenopause. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 July 1. Published in final edited form as:Menopause. 2009 ; 16(4): 708-718. doi:10.1097/gme.0b013e318198d6b2. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript with age. 2 Moreover, variability in the circadian pattern of cortisol increases as women age. 2,3The integrative functio...

Endocrine biomarkers and symptom clusters during the menopausal transition and early postmenopause

“…The association of cortisol with urinary estrone, FSH, and testosterone in the SMWHS population may suggest that the transition of estrogen production from an ovarian to an adrenal source during the menopausal transition may be marked by a transient period in which levels of both cortisol and HPO axis hormones are elevated. 26 Nonetheless, cortisol does not appear associated with any of the symptom clusters in these analyses.…”

“…25 Among the SMWHS population, cortisol was positively associated with urinary estrone, epinephrine and norepinephrine levels during the MT stages. 26 …”

Glucocorticoid receptor antagonist and siRNA prevent senescence of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells in vitro

“…Untreated MSCs served as controls. GR siRNA loaded PLGA particles were prepared using a (water-in-oil)-in-water double emulsion solvent evaporation method as previously described [24] . Briefly, GR siRNA (50 μg) was added to 300 μL of a 1% aqueous solution of PVA (water 1 phase).…”

“…In addition, the effects mediated by GCs may accelerate cell aging and shorten telomere length by increasing oxidative stress and down-regulating the activity of telomerase and antioxidant levels [17–20] . Elevated levels of endogenous GCs also contribute to MSC senescence and the development of osteoporosis in aging patients and in those who are postmenopausal and hence estrogen depleted [12–24] . Our previously published data have shown that short-term blockage of the effects mediated by the GCs present in fetal bovine serum (FBS) using either the GR antagonist RU486, or the small interfering RNA (siRNA) for GR, significantly improve the proliferative and osteochondral differentiation capabilities of human MSCs [25–26] .…”

Assessment of levels of physical activity in perimenopausal women

“…Cortisol, a hormone produced in the adrenal glands, and regulated and released by the hypothalamus during times of stress, is often a contributor to this problem. High levels of cortisol contribute to chronic insomnia and feelings of crashing fatigue, but over exposure to cortisol, along with other stress hormone, such as adrenaline, which is also released by the adrenal gland, can put the body at high risk for heart disease, contribute to digestive problem, obesity and even depression [6]. According to WHO, physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure.…”