--- title: How do hormones affect brain chemicals that control mood? | Niyora description: Sex hormones change how the brain's serotonin system works across the menstrual cycle. Stopping ovulation with danazol eliminated premenstrual mood changes in url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/gonadal-hormones-and-antihormones-serotonin-and-mood-1990/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How do hormones affect brain chemicals that control mood? Review, 1990 # How do hormones affect brain chemicals that control mood? Sex hormones change how the brain's serotonin system works across the menstrual cycle. Stopping ovulation with danazol eliminated premenstrual mood changes in studied women, showing a hormone-mood connection. Moderate study design Review of menstrual cycle hormone and mood research (includes studies of women with premenstrual dysphoric changes) ## What they did Reviewed research on how sex hormones affect serotonin (a brain chemical related to mood) throughout the menstrual cycle. Also presented studies testing drugs that affect or activate the serotonin system at different cycle phases, and danazol, a medication that stops ovulation. ## What they found Serotonin receptor activity in blood was lower in women with premenstrual dysphoric changes in the early second half of the cycle, about 5 to 7 days after ovulation. This timing occurs 5 to 7 days before their mood symptoms appear. Responses to serotonin-affecting drugs were weaker right before the period compared to mid-cycle. Danazol, which stops ovulation, eliminated premenstrual dysphoric symptoms in treated women. ## What it means for you Changes in how the brain uses serotonin may explain why some women experience mood changes before their period. Stopping ovulation relieves premenstrual mood symptoms in some women. The research is limited because we don't fully understand all the mechanisms and individual responses to treatments vary. 5 to 7 days time after ovulation when serotonin changes occur ## About the study Original title Gonadal hormones and antihormones, serotonin and mood Authors Halbreich U Journal Psychopharmacology bulletin Year 1990 Study design Review What was tested Serotonin-affecting drugs and danazol (ovulation suppressant) Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2274628/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2274628/) ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[GnRH agonists and ovarian suppression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-gnrh/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Cohort study, 2022 What are PMS and PMDD and how should they be diagnosed and treated? Systematic review, 2024 What are the best treatments for PMDD and PMS? Systematic review, 2022 What are the best treatments for PMDD and PMS? Review, 2015 What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated? Review, 2008 What medications are FDA-approved for treating PMDD? Study, 2026 What treatments work for PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗