Pituitary–adrenal hormones and testosterone across the menstrual cycle in women with premenstrual syndrome and controls

Abstract

Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a cyclic mood disorder, widely 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. Methods: Subjects (10 PMS patients and 10 controls) had their blood drawn 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), β-endorphin (β-EP), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and cortisol. Results: No differences were observed between the PMS and control groups for β-EP, ACTH, or cortisol. PMS subjects had significantly lower total and free T plasma levels with a blunting of the normal periovulatory peak, a finding that may be epiphenomenal to age. Conclusions: This study does not confirm previous reports of abnormalities in plasma levels of either ACTH or β-EP in women with PMS; it also fails to replicate a previous observation of high free T levels in women with PMS. These results are not supportive of a primary endocrine abnormality in PMS patients.