HORMONES AND DEPRESSION - WHAT ARE THE FACTS ABOUT PREMENSTRUAL-SYNDROME, MENOPAUSE, AND HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

The diagnosis, epidemiology, etiology, and treatment of premenstrual s yndrome are reviewed. A relationship between depression and premenstru al syndrome is suggested by the increased prevalence of prior depressi ve episodes in women with premenstrual syndrome, common neurotransmitt er and chronobiologic abnormalities, and the successful treatment of p remenstrual syndrome with regimens used for depression. The relationsh ip between menopause and depression is not clearly defined, but the pe rimenopausal years may be a time of increased depression for women who are at risk for depressive recurrences. The role of hormone replaceme nt treatments in either ameliorating or promoting depression in menopa usal women is a subject for future studies.