Features of steroid hormone levels in girls with menstrual cycle disorders and mental health disorders
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18370/2309-4117.2024.71.39-44Keywords:
reproductive hormones, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, cortisol/DHEA-S ratio, adolescent girls, menstrual function disorders, mental deviationsAbstract
Objectives of the study: to investigate the peculiarities of the steroid hormone status in girls with menstrual function disorders, depending on comorbid psychopathology.
Materials and methods. A total of 174 girls with menstrual function disorders (78 with abnormal uterine bleedings (AUB) and 96 with oligomenorrhea (OM)) were examined. The diagnosis of psychopathology was determined based on the clinical presentation at the time of examination. The comparison group consisted of 35 girls with a normal menstrual cycle.
The laboratory examination included the assessment of estradiol, testosterone, cortisol (C), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels. The C/DHEA-S ratio was calculated using the unprocessed raw values.
Results. Menstrual function disorders are often associated with hypoestrogenemia, a prevalent phenomenon. It was observed in almost a third of patients with AUB, whereas in girls with OM this number was significantly higher. Significant reduced values are found in girls with accompanying depressive states, especially in cases of AUB and OM. In instances of AUB and OM, the number of individuals with elevated levels of testosterone increased by 1.97–2.2 times in the presence of psychopathology. DHEA-S in patients with AUB was reduced in more than half of the girls, while in patients with OM it varies evenly in both directions, regardless of the presence or absence of psychopathology. A C level were more often reduced than increased, and achieves statistical significance when OM combined with neurotic disorders and AUB combined with depressive states. The C/DHEA-S ratio, as a stress indicator, was statistically significantly elevated in patients with AUB. This may suggest more pronounced manifestations of stress in patients with AUB than in girls with OM and a higher adaptability of the girls’ bodies with OM.
Conclusions. Thus, the understanding of the role of reproductive steroids in the development of menstrual function disorders during adolescence has been deepened. Distinctive features of their interrelations in the presence of psychopathology have been identified. The impact of cortisol and DHEA-S, as well as C/DHEA-S ratio, on mental well-being in endocrine-related gynecological disorders in girls has been established
References
- Abou El Ella SS, Barseem NF, Tawfik MA, Ahmed AF. BMI relationship to the onset of puberty: assessment of growth parameters and sexual maturity changes in Egyptian children and adolescents of both sexes. J. Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2020 Jan 28;33.1:121–8. DOI: 10.1515/jpem-2019-0119
- Lopez-Rodriguez D, Franssen D, Heger S, Parent AS. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and their effects on puberty. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Sep;35(5):101579. DOI: 10.1016/j.beem.2021.101579
- Lucien JN, Ortega MT, Calvert M.E, et al. The Launch of A Girl’s First Period Study: Demystifying Reproductive Hormone Profiles in Adolescent Girls. J. Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2022 Aug;35.4: 420–5. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpag.2021.12.018
- Sun BZ, Kangarloo T, Adams JM, et al. Healthy Post-Menarchal Adolescent Girls Demonstrate Multi-Level Reproductive Axis Immaturity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2019 Feb 1;104.2: 613–623. DOI: 10.1210/jc.2018-00595
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Menstruation in girls and adolescents: using the menstrual cycle as a vital sign. Committee Opinion. [Internet]. 2015. Dec;651. Available from: https:// www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2015/12/ menstruation-in-girls-and-adolescents-using-the-menstrual-cycle-as-a-vital-sign
- Gruber N, Modan-Moses D. Menstrual Cycle in Adolescents: Updating the Normal Pattern. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Jan 1;106.1:372–374. DOI:10.1210/clinem/dgaa688
- Marques P, Madeira T, Gama A. Menstrual cycle among adolescents: girls’ awareness and influence of age at menarche and overweight. Rev Paul Pediatr. 2022 Jan 5:40:e2020494. DOI: 10.1590/1984-0462/2022/40/2020494
- De Sanctis V, Soliman AT, Tzoulis P, et al. Hypomenorrhea in Adolescents and Youths: Normal Variant or Menstrual Disorder? Revision of Literature and Personal Experience. Acta Biomed. 2022 Mar 14;93.1: e2022157. DOI: 10.23750/abm.v93i1.12804
- Quraishi SR, Waghachavare VB, Gore AD, et al. Are Menstrual Problems Associated with the Mental Health? A Cross Sectional Study among the Graduation College Girls. IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia. 2015 Dec 14(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v14i2.435
- Sundari T, George AJ, Sinu E. Psychosocial Problems of Adolescent Girls during Menstruation. J Mental Health Educ. 2022 Apr 3(2):47–63.
- Fukushima K, Fukushima N, Sato H, et al. Association between nutritional level, menstrual-related symptoms, and mental health in female medical students. PLoS One. 2020 Jul 13;15.7:e0235909. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235909
- Hirtz R, Libuda L, Hinney, et al. Age at menarche relates to depression in adolescent girls: Comparing a clinical sample to the general pediatric population. J. Affect Disord. 2022 Dec 1:318:103–12. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.08.092
- Chaku N, Barry K. Exploring profiles of hormone exposure: Associations with cognition in a population-based cohort of early adolescents. Inf. Child Dev. [Internet]. 2023 Apr 3:2415. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/icd.2415. DOI: 10.1002/icd.2415
- Cherenack EM, Sikkema KJ. Puberty- and Menstruation-Related Stressors Are Associated with Depression, Anxiety, and Reproductive Tract Infection Symptoms Among Adolescent Girls in Tanzania. Int J Behav Med. 2022 Apr 29(2):160–74. DOI: 10.1007/s12529-021-10005-1
- Leff-Gelman P, Flores-Ramos M, Carrasco AEÁ, et al. Cortisol and DHEA-S levels in pregnant women with severe anxiety. BMC Psychiatry. 2020 Aug 5;20(1):393. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-020-02788-6
- Mulligan EM, Hajcak G, Crisler S, Meyer A. Increased dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is associated with anxiety in adolescent girls. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020 Sep 119: 104751. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104751
- Vurgun E, Memet B, Kocaturk E, et al. Evaluation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate ratio in chronic spontaneous urticarial. Turkish Journal of Biochemistry 2020 Nov 46(2):191–6. DOI: 10.1515/tjb-2020-0304
- Faviana P, Boldrini L, Gronchi L, et al. Steroid Hormones as Modulators of Emotional Regulation in Male Urogenital Cancers. Int J Behav Med. 2022 Dec;30(6):836–48. DOI: 10.1007/s12529-022-10139-w
- Ahmed T, Qassem M, Kyriacou PA. Measuring stress: a review of the current cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) measurement techniques and considerations for the future of mental health monitoring. Stress. 2023 Jan;26(1):29-42. DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2022.2164187
- Bergunde L, Garthus-Niegel S, Alexander N, Steudte-Schmiedgen S. Perinatal mental health research: towards an integrative biopsychosocial approach. J Reprod Infant Psychol. 2022 Sep;40(4):325–8. DOI: 10.1080/02646838.2022.2101781
- Lambert K, Hunter RG, Bartlett AA, et al. In search of optimal resilience ratios: Differential influences of neurobehavioral factors contributing to stress-resilience spectra. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2020 Jan:56:100802. DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100802
- Kamin HS, Kertes DA. Cortisol and DHEA in development and psychopathology. Horm Behav. 2017 Mar:89:69–85. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.11.018
- van Dammen L, de Rooij SR, Behnsen PM, Huizink AC. Sex-specific associations between person and environment-related childhood adverse events and levels of cortisol and DHEA in adolescence. PLoS One 2020 Jun 4;15(6):0233718. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233718
- Schulz KM, Sisk CL. The organizing actions of adolescent gonadal steroid hormones on brain and behavioral development. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016 Nov:70: 148–58. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.07.036
- Zito S, Nosari G, Pigoni, A, et al. Association between testosterone levels and mood disorders: A minireview. J Affect Disord. 2023 Jun 1:330:48–56 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.108
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 В.О. Диннік, О.О. Диннік, О.Г. Верхошанова, Т.М. Матковська, О.Ю. Шелудько, Г.О. Гавенко
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.