Sex hormone levels in females of different ages suffering from depression

Rong Lei,Zhenjian Yu,Yuan Yuan,Linlin Sun,Yugeng Liu,Xinyu Yang,Wenyou Ma,Jiawen Liao,Yan Sun

doi:10.1186/s12905-021-01350-0

Abstract

BackgroundThere are only a few studies on sex hormones in females of different ages suffering from depression, and their conclusions are not uniform until now. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the severity of depression in females and factors such as sex hormones and differences in sex hormone levels in females of different ages, exploring variations after treatment.MethodsA total of 169 females with depression were selected and divided into the first-episode (91 cases) and recurrent (78 cases) groups. Then, on the basis of their age, the first-episode patients were divided into the young (48 cases, age < 45 years), perimenopausal (20 cases, 45–55 years), and elderly groups (23 cases, age > 55 years); the patients with recurrent depression were classified into the young (37 cases, age < 45 years), perimenopausal (19 cases, 45–55 years), and elderly groups (22 cases, age > 55 years). The patients were assessed in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases of mental and behavioral disorders. The serum progesterone, prolactin, estradiol, and testosterone levels in the patients were measured, and differences in sex hormone levels of the groups were analyzed.ResultsThe estradiol level was negatively correlated with age and the prolactin level was positively correlated with occupation. The severity of depression in females was found to be negatively correlated with age. The serum progesterone and estradiol levels in the young group were significantly higher than those in the elderly group, regardless of the first episode or recurrence. Estradiol levels in the perimenopausal and elderly groups with first-episode depression were significantly higher than those in the same group with recurrent depression. However, there was no significant difference in the serum progesterone, prolactin, estradiol, and testosterone levels in the recurrent group before and after treatment.ConclusionsSex hormone levels, especially estradiol, varied among females of different ages suffering from depression. Recurrent depression also has a certain effect on sex hormone levels in females. Not only should the age and relapse be considered when studying the sex hormone levels of females with depression, but also attention should be paid to whether the patients have used antidepressants before their sexual hormonal testing.

Highlights

There are only a few studies on sex hormones in females of different ages suffering from depression, and their conclusions are not uniform until now
Correlation analysis of sex hormones and sociodemographic variables This correlation analysis (Table 2) showed that the estradiol level was negatively correlated with age (r = − 0.267, P = 0.000) and the prolactin level was positively correlated with occupation (r = 0.157, P = 0.041)
Some studies on perimenopausal depression in females show that perimenopausal depression has nothing to do with the fluctuation in sex hormone levels, which is caused by the difficulty in measuring sex hormones [34]

Summary

Introduction

There are only a few studies on sex hormones in females of different ages suffering from depression, and their conclusions are not uniform until now. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the severity of depression in females and factors such as sex hormones and differences in sex hormone levels in females of different ages, exploring variations after treatment. Depression has become one of the most common mental disorders and is regarded as the most severe disability/disease in the world [1], accounting for onethird of the social and economic cost of the global burden of disease. The recurrence is an important factor in determining that women are more likely to develop active depression compared to men once the first episode has occurred, but the reasons for this gender difference are not entirely clear [3]. Two female sex hormones— estrogen and progesterone—are considered to play a role in the onset and development of depression [5]

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