Estrogen supplementation attenuates glucocorticoid and catecholamine responses to mental stress in perimenopausal women

Estrogens are reported to provide protection against the development of car diovascular disease in women, but the mechanisms underlying these effects a re not well defined. We hypothesized that estrogen might affect the hormona l responses to stress. We therefore studied cortisol, ACTH, epinephrine, no repinephrine, and norepinephrine spillover and hemodynamic responses to a 1 0-min mental arithmetic test in 12 perimenopausal women randomized to 8 wee ks of estrogen supplementation (estradiol valerate, 2 mg daily; n = 7) or p lacebo (n = 5). Total body and forearm norepinephrine spillover were measur ed by radiotracer methodology. After supplementation with estradiol, the in creases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in response to mental stress were reduced, and cortisol, ACTH, plasma epinephrine and norepineph rine, and total body norepinephrine spillover responses to stress were sign ificantly attenuated (P < 0.05 in each case). Forearm norepinephrine spillo ver was unchanged by estrogen, and there was no change in any of the respon ses after placebo. We conclude that estrogen supplementation in perimenopau sal women attenuates blood pressure, glucocorticoid, and catecholamine resp onses to psychological stress.