Hormone levels in severe premenstrual tension

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Abstract
Plasma levels of progesterone and aldosterone during the menstrual cycle were studied in 8 patients with premenstrual tension and in 8 controls. The results showed a deficit in progesterone 8 days premenstrually in the women with severe symptoms. In 6 of the 8 patients in this first study, symptoms started before this, suggesting the involvement of some other factor earlier in the cycle. Aldosterone levels, however, showed no consistent change even in women with low progesterone levels, and there was no difference between patients who gained weight cyclically and those who did not. In a second ongoing study the levels of these hormones and of prolactin were followed in a larger group of 58 women with severe premenstrual symptoms. Raised prolactin and low progesterone levels were found in approximately 30 % of the 58 patients during the second half of the cycle suggesting that prolactin reduces progesterone production in corpus luteum cells, and this slight deficiency was reflected in somewhat shorter length menstrual cycles. Further studies are being carried out to clarify the roles of prolactin and oestradiol in this syndrome.