Randomised trial, 2000
Do cortisol rhythms differ between PMDD and normal women across the menstrual cycle and sleep deprivation?
The timing of when cortisol is released differs between women with PMDD and normal women, both across the menstrual cycle and in response to late sleep deprivation. The amount of cortisol does not differ.
What they did
Measured cortisol levels every 30 minutes from 6 PM to 9 AM during follicular and luteal phases in 15 women with PMDD and 15 normal women. They also tested how partial sleep deprivation at different times (early sleep from 3-7 AM or late sleep from 9 PM-1 AM) affected cortisol timing.
What they found
In normal women, cortisol peaked about 1 hour earlier in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase. PMDD women did not show this shift between phases. During late sleep deprivation, PMDD women's cortisol peaked almost 2 hours earlier than in normal women.
What it means for you
How cortisol timing changes across the menstrual cycle and with sleep may help explain PMDD symptoms. The study is limited by its small sample size of 30 women.
1 hour
Earlier cortisol peak in normal women (luteal vs follicular)
2 hours
Earlier cortisol peak in PMDD women during late sleep deprivation
15
Women studied in each group
About the study
- Original title
- Cortisol circadian rhythms during the menstrual cycle and with sleep deprivation in premenstrual dysphoric disorder and normal control subjects
- Authors
- Parry BL, Javeed S, Laughlin GA et al.
- Journal
- Biological psychiatry
- Year
- 2000
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 15
- What was tested
- Sleep deprivation timing and observation during menstrual cycle phases
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/s0006-3223(00)00876-3
Topics
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