Case report, 1998
Can drops in estrogen before your period cause psychotic episodes?
A case report and literature review propose that sudden drops in estrogen before menstruation may trigger psychotic episodes in vulnerable women, but this is a theory that needs more testing.
What they did
Two cases of women who experienced psychotic episodes around their menstrual cycles were described, and the published literature on menstrual and postpartum psychosis was reviewed. A theory was developed to explain how both types of psychosis might be connected to changes in estrogen levels in the brain.
What they found
Both cases involved women with psychotic episodes around menstruation. The hypothesis proposes that in some cases when a woman has an anovulatory menstrual cycle (a cycle without ovulation), her estrogen stays high until the next ovulation. This prolonged high estrogen state may prime the brain to be vulnerable, and then a psychotic episode happens when estrogen drops before her period. The same mechanism may explain postpartum psychosis, where estrogen drops sharply after birth.
What it means for you
This is an early theory about what might cause menstrual psychosis based on two case stories. The researchers note that more research is needed using better methods to measure both hormone levels and mental state changes together over time. The main limit is that this is based on only two cases, not an experiment that proves this is actually the cause.
2
women with menstrual psychosis described
About the study
- Original title
- Puerperal and menstrual psychoses: the proposal of a unitary etiological hypothesis
- Authors
- Deuchar N, Brockington I
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology
- Year
- 1998
- Study design
- Case report
- What was tested
- None; this was a case report and theory paper
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3109/01674829809048503
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