The effect of a specific emotional stressor on prolactin, cortisol, and testosterone concentrations in women varies with their trait anxiety.

The psychological and the hormonal response to a specific emotional stressor (a video film on treatment of infertility, pregnancy, and delivery) was investigated in 30 women and the responses were correlated with their trait anxiety level. The experiment included a resting period before and after the stressor. The psychological response, i.e., the change in state anxiety, was in phase with the stressor and varied with the trait anxiety level. The endocrinological response, i.e., the time courses of prolactin, cortisol, and testosterone, was not in phase but varied with the trait anxiety level. It is suggested that psychological phenomena as anticipation, mental assimilation, and reflection could explain these findings, and that these should be taken into account when investigating the so-called "psychological" infertility.