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Estrogen, menstrual cycle phases, and psychopathology in women suffering from schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2007

NIELS BERGEMANN ,
PETER PARZER ,
BENNO RUNNEBAUM ,
FRANZ RESCH  and
CHRISTOPH MUNDT
NIELS BERGEMANN*
Affiliation:
Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
PETER PARZER
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
BENNO RUNNEBAUM
Affiliation:
Department of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
FRANZ RESCH
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
CHRISTOPH MUNDT
Affiliation:
Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
*
*Address for correspondence: Niels Bergemann, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D., Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Voss-Str. 4, D-69115 Heidelberg, Germany. (Email: niels.bergemann@med.uni-heidelberg.de)
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Abstract

Background

Estrogen has been hypothesized to have a protective and antipsychotic-like effect in women at risk for schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between menstrual cycle and/or estrogen levels and psychotic symptoms in a sample of women with schizophrenia.

Method

One hundred and twenty-five premenopausal women with schizophrenia and regular menses were examined. The levels of 17β-estradiol and other hormones of the gonadal axis were assessed in the follicular, peri-ovulatory, and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. The effects of the menstrual cycle phase and/or the estradiol level on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores were calculated by means of regression analyses.

Results

Significant improvement in psychotic, but not depressive, symptoms was observed during the luteal phase, compared with other days of the menstrual cycle.

Conclusions

The present findings indicate that estradiol may have specific antipsychotic-like effects on the symptoms of schizophrenia. Thus further investigation into the therapeutic effect of estrogen may be worthwhile.

Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 37 , Issue 10 , October 2007 , pp. 1427 - 1436
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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