Survey study, 2008
Do genes related to mood and stress change during the menstrual cycle?
One stress-related gene (FKBP5) showed lower activity in the follicular phase compared to other phases. Anxiety scores also changed during the cycle, but these two changes were not connected to each other.
What they did
Study that started with 38 healthy women age 22.4 years, but only 12 had regular menstrual cycles during the study period so researchers analyzed data from those 12 women. They measured gene expression and anxiety levels at three different cycle phases: menstrual, follicular, and luteal.
What they found
Anxiety scores changed significantly across the cycle phases (P<0.05). FKBP5 gene expression was significantly lower during the follicular phase than in other phases. However, there was no correlation between anxiety scores and FKBP5 expression. Two other genes studied (SERT and COMT) showed no changes across the cycle phases.
What it means for you
A stress-related gene changes during the cycle and anxiety varies across the cycle, but the gene changes may not explain the anxiety changes. The study was very small with only 12 of 38 women having regular cycles, so results may not apply broadly to all women.
12
women analyzed with regular cycles
38
women enrolled
3
cycle phases measured
About the study
- Original title
- FKBP5, SERT and COMT mRNA expressions in the peripheral leukocytes during menstruation cycle in healthy reproductive females
- Authors
- Kinouchi S, Iga J, Ueno S et al.
- Journal
- Neuroscience letters
- Year
- 2008
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 12
- What was tested
- None; observational measurements at three cycle phases
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2008.01.039
Topics
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