Fluctuations in progesterone moderate the relationship between daily mood and alcohol use in young adult women

Abstract

Background: Research has demonstrated associations between hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle and women's alcohol use. This association has been explained by mood changes that, for some women, accompany decreasing levels of progesterone during the menstrual cycle, particularly during the late luteal/premenstrual phase. The current study examined whether participants' daily ratings of mood interact with changing levels of progesterone to predict alcohol use. Method:Young adult women attended two sessions scheduled two weeks apart, during which they completed questionnaires and provided salivary samples for the assay of progesterone levels. In the intervening two weeks, participants completed daily logs of their mood, alcohol use, and menses. Ordered Generalized Linear Mixed Models assessed the effects of daily mood (examined as both a within-and between-subject variable) on the likelihood of drinking, as a function of menstrual cycle phase and changes in progesterone across the two weeks.Results: One standard deviation increase in progesterone corresponded to a 1.61 decrease in the odds of drinking. This main effect was moderated by daily mood. Women were more likely to drink during a decrease in progesterone on days they rated their mood as negative, whereas during an increase in progesterone they were more likely to drink on days they reported a positive mood. Between-subject analyses showed that women who reported lower overall mood during the two-Correspondence to

Gonadal hormones and sex chromosome complement differentially contribute to ethanol intake, preference, and relapse-like behavior in Four Core Genotypes mice

“…Elevated levels of estrogens have been associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption in adolescent 12 and adult women 13 . Recent work also suggests that rising progesterone levels may protect against alcohol intake in some women and that gonadal hormone levels may be associated with drinking alcohol to cope with negative emotional states 14 . In rodents, elevated levels of EtOH consumption and EtOH reward in females [15][16][17] are at least partially dependent on ovarian hormones including estradiol, which promotes drinking [18][19][20][21][22][23] and EtOH reward 24 .…”

Menstrual Cycle Phase, Hormonal Contraception, and Alcohol Consumption in Premenopausal Females: A Systematic Review

“…The final two studies adopted a mixed-methods approach ( 27 , 31 ) and one included a sample of HC users ( 31 ). Both were conducted over one menstrual cycle and relied on self-report methods for measuring alcohol consumption, and used a previously validated method of determining cycle phase.…”

“…A recent study ( 31 ) investigated the effects of progesterone levels and menstrual cycle phase on alcohol use. The study included NC and HC groups.…”

“…Together, neither study found any relationship between the menstrual cycle and alcohol consumption. The lab visits were included for different reasons: to collect samples ( 31 ) or measure CVC ( 27 ). Although both used previously validated methods, the small sample sizes make it difficult to draw conclusions, particularly as effect sizes were not reported.…”

“…Out of the 16 studies, 11 used diary methods ( 25 , 26 , 28 – 30 , 32 , 35 – 39 ) with self-reports used to measure alcohol consumption and menstrual cycle phase; three used laboratory-based methods ( 33 , 34 , 40 ), measuring actual alcohol consumption and using biological measures or applictions to determine cycle phase. The remaining two studies ( 27 , 31 ) used mixed-methods with self-report data for alcohol consumption and biological measures for cycle phase. Three diary studies took place over one cycle ( 26 , 30 , 35 ) with the majority of the other studies collecting data for 2–3 months ( 28 , 29 , 32 , 37 – 39 ).…”