Correlation between allopregnanolone levels and depressive symptoms during late menopausal transition and early postmenopause

Abstract

Objectives: This observational, cross-sectional study included 140 women with climacteric symptoms. The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between the presence and severity of depressive symptoms and allopregnanolone levels in women during late menopausal transition and early postmenopause.

Methods: The study group was divided into two groups: 45 women in late menopausal transition and 95 early postmenopausal women. We evaluated Kupperman index, Hamilton scale and serum follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, 17β-estradiol, prolactin, total testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and allopregnanolone levels.

Results: We found that serum allopregnanolone concentration was lower in early postmenopausal women compared to women in late menopausal transition; that there was a correlation between serum allopregnanolone levels in early postmenopausal women and time since last menstruation, intensity of climacteric symptoms, and intensity of depression symptoms and that there was a correlation between serum allopregnanolone levels and several depression symptoms presence (shallow sleep and symptoms of the digestive tract in women during late menopause transition; feelings of guilt, sleep disorders and general somatic symptoms in early postmenopausal women).

Conclusion: We concluded that reproductive aging is characterized by a reduction of allopregnanolone circulating levels that correlate to Hamilton depression index in early postmenopause and presence of specific depressive symptoms during late menopausal transition and early postmenopause.

Chinese abstract

目的：该观察性、横断面研究包括140名有更年期症状的女性。该研究的目的是评估绝经过渡晚期和绝经早期女性的四氢孕酮水平与抑郁症状的存在和严重性的关系。

方法：该研究分为两组：45名绝经过渡晚期女性和95名绝经早期女性。我们评估Kupperman评分、Hamilton 评分、血清卵泡刺激素、黄体生成素、17p-雌二醇、催乳素、总睾酮、硫酸脱氢表雄酮和四氢孕酮水平。

结果：我们发现绝经早期女性四氢孕酮浓度低于绝经过渡晚期女性；发现绝经早期女性血清中四氢孕酮水平与距离末次月经的时间、更年期症状的强度及抑郁症状的强度有关；并且发现血清四氢孕酮水平与几种存在的抑郁症状（绝经过渡晚期女性的浅睡眠、消化道症状；绝经早期女性的愧疚感、睡眠障碍及一般躯体症状）有关。

结论：我们的结论是生殖衰老的特点是与绝经早期女性的 Hamilton抑郁指数相关的循环中四氢孕酮水平的降低以及在绝经过渡晚期和绝经早期女性中存在的特异的抑郁症状。

Keywords:

• Allopregnanolone
• depression
• menopause

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Polish Committee of Scientific Research.