National Center for PTSD, Women's Health Sciences Division at VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 South Huntington Ave. (116B-3), Boston, MA, 02130, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2021 Jan 6;23(2):8. doi: 10.1007/s11920-020-01221-9.
This paper reviews the recent literature on menstrual cycle phase effects on outcomes relevant to anxiety and PTSD, discusses potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying these effects, and highlights methodological limitations impeding scientific advancement.
The menstrual cycle and its underlying hormones impact symptom expression among women with anxiety and PTSD, as well as psychophysiological and biological processes relevant to anxiety and PTSD. The most consistent findings are retrospective self-report of premenstrual exacerbation of anxiety symptoms and the protective effect of estradiol on recall of extinction learning among healthy women. Lack of rigorous methodology for assessing menstrual cycle phase and inconsistent menstrual cycle phase definitions likely contribute to other conflicting results. Further investigations that address these limitations and integrate complex interactions between menstrual cycle phase-related hormones, genetics, and psychological vulnerabilities are needed to inform personalized prevention and intervention efforts for women.
本文回顾了近期关于月经周期阶段对焦虑和创伤后应激障碍相关结果影响的文献，讨论了这些影响背后潜在的神经生物学机制，并强调了阻碍科学进展的方法学局限性。
月经周期及其潜在激素会影响患有焦虑症和创伤后应激障碍的女性的症状表现，以及与焦虑和创伤后应激障碍相关的心理生理和生物学过程。最一致的发现是回顾性自我报告的经前期焦虑症状恶化，以及雌二醇对健康女性的消退学习记忆的保护作用。评估月经周期阶段的严格方法学缺乏以及月经周期阶段定义的不一致可能导致了其他相互矛盾的结果。需要进一步的研究来解决这些局限性，并整合与月经周期阶段相关的激素、遗传和心理脆弱性之间的复杂相互作用，以为女性提供个性化的预防和干预措施。
