Case-control study, 2001
Do women with PMS respond differently to a serotonin challenge than healthy women?
Yes. When given an intravenous tryptophan challenge, women with PMS showed a much larger increase in allopregnanolone than healthy women. This suggests a possible interaction between serotonin and brain hormones in women with PMS. However, the study was very small.
What they did
Researchers gave 5 women with PMS and 5 healthy women matched for age and body weight an intravenous L-tryptophan challenge 8 times over 1 month. They measured hormone levels at multiple time points after each challenge across the menstrual cycle.
What they found
In response to the tryptophan challenge, only allopregnanolone concentrations increased significantly, and this increase was much greater in women with PMS. Two other hormones tested (pregnenolone and 3alpha-5alpha-tetrahydrocorticosterone) did not change in either group.
What it means for you
The results provide evidence for an interaction between the serotonin system and allopregnanolone in women with PMS. Women with PMS may have lower baseline serotonin activity in the second half of their cycle. The study is extremely small (5 per group), so findings need confirmation in larger studies before drawing firm conclusions.
5
Women per study group
8
Tryptophan challenges given over 1 month
About the study
- Original title
- Neuroactive steroid-serotonergic interaction: responses to an intravenous L-tryptophan challenge in women with premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Rasgon N, Serra M, Biggio G et al.
- Journal
- European journal of endocrinology
- Year
- 2001
- Study design
- Case-control study
- What was tested
- Intravenous L-tryptophan challenge.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1530/eje.0.1450025
Topics
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