Address of Corresponding Author

Neuropsychobiology 2005;52:17-23 (DOI: 10.1159/000086173)

  Key Words

• Sex steroid treatment
• Menopause
• Mood
• Depression
• Sleep

  Abstract

Clinical studies have documented that estrogen treatment often ameliorates mood disturbances and depressive symptoms occurring during the menopausal transition. The relevance of gonadal hormones for mood and well-being in healthy older nondepressed women is less well understood. Fifty-one healthy hysterectomized women (mean age 64) participated in a placebo-controlled double-blind study on the effects of gonadal hormones on cognition. They received either estradiol (2 mg estradiol valerate), estradiol plus progesterone (100 mg micronized progesterone) or placebo. Mood, well being, menopausal symptoms, depressive symptoms and subjective sleep quality were measured at baseline and after 4 and 24 weeks of treatment using three questionnaires. Thirty-five women could be included into the final analysis. Strong increases in estradiol and progesterone levels occurred in response to the treatment. The two hormones, however, had no effects on mood, well-being, menopausal symptoms, sleep quality and depressive symptoms. The current small study suggests that older healthy nondepressed hysterectomized women do not react with positive or negative mood changes to estradiol or estradiol/progesterone treatment.

Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Oliver T. Wolf, PhD
Institute of Experimental Psychology
University of Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1
DE-40225 Düsseldorf (Germany)
Tel. +49 211 81 11779, Fax +49 211 81 12019, E-Mail oliver.wolf@uni-duesseldorf.de

  Article Information

Published online: June 3, 2005
Number of Print Pages : 7
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 50