Reproductive Steroid Regulation of Mood and Behavior

Abstract

In this article, we examine evidence supporting the role of reproductive steroids in the regulation of mood and behavior in women and the nature of that role. In the first half of the article, we review evidence for the following: (i) the reproductive system is designed to regulate behavior; (ii) from the subcellular to cellular to circuit to behavior, reproductive steroids are powerful neuroregulators; (iii) affective disorders are disorders of behavioral state; and (iv) reproductive steroids affect virtually every system implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. In the second half of the article, we discuss the diagnosis of the three reproductive endocrine-related mood disorders (premenstrual dysphoric disorder, postpartum depression, and perimenopausal depression) and present evidence supporting the relevance of reproductive steroids to these conditions. Existing evidence suggests that changes in reproductive steroid levels during specific reproductive states (i.e., the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, parturition, and the menopause transition) trigger affective dysregulation in susceptible women, thus suggesting the etiopathogenic relevance of these hormonal changes in reproductive mood disorders. Understanding the source of individual susceptibility is critical to both preventing the onset of illness and developing novel, individualized treatments for reproductive-related affective dysregulation. © 2016 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 6:1135-1160, 2016e.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Symptoms Following Ovarian Suppression: Triggered by Change in Ovarian Steroid Levels But Not Continuous Stable Levels

“…First, a continuous exposure to hormones reminiscent of pregnancy could be an effective treatment for some women with PMDD (41). Studies using oral contraceptives have confirmed their efficacy in some women with PMDD (42–47).…”

Everybody was Kung-Fu fighting—The beneficial effects of Tai Chi Qigong and self-defense Kung-Fu training on psychological and endocrine health in middle aged and older men

“…[1][2][3] As underlying mechanism contributing to this continuous health decline, age-related changes in steroid secretion have been suggested. 4,5 In aging men testosterone (T), the end product of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG)…”

Extended cycle contraception

“…SNRI ("selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors") kann eine effektive Ovulationshemmung durch hormonale Kontrazeptiva vorgenommen werden. Im Vergleich zur zyklischen Gabe hat sich der Langzyklus als signifikant wirksamer erwiesen [47,48].…”