PITUITARY-ADRENAL HORMONES AND TESTOSTERONE ACROSS THE MENSTRUAL-CYCLE IN WOMEN WITH PREMENSTRUAL-SYNDROME AND CONTROLS

Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a cyclic mood disorder, wid ely believed yet not conclusively shown, to be of endocrine etiology. This study examines basal levels of several hormones reported, albeit inconsistently: to differ in women with PMS compared with controls, Me thods: Subjects (10 PMS patients and 10 controls) had their blood draw n for one full menstrual cycle. Subjects' mood and behavioral symptoms were assessed by daily self-ratings and objective ratings, Plasma was assayed for total and free testosterone (T), beta-endolphin (P-EP), a drenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and cortisol. Results: No differenc es were observed between the PMS and control groups for P-EP, ACTH, or cortisol. PMS subjects had significantly lower total and free T plasm a levels with a blunting of the normal periovulatory peak, a finding t hat may be epiphenomenal to age. Conclusions: This study does not conf irm previous reports of abnormalities in plasma levels of either ACTH or P-EP in women with PMS; it also fails to replicate a previous obser vation of high free T levels in women with PMS. These results are not supportive of a primary endocrine abnormality in PMS patients. Publish ed 1998 Society of Biological Psychiatry.