Pre-menopausal and post-menopausal depressed women.

In a consecutive series of 28 depressed women, pre-menopausal (n = 13) and post-menopausal (n = 15) patients were compared. Post-menopausal women had significantly higher levels of plasma norepinephrine, plasma 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, post-dexamethasone plasma cortisol, cerebrospinal fluid 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol and corticotropin-releasing hormone. However, when biologic measures were adjusted for age by analyses of covariance there were no significant differences. Pre-menopausal women had had significantly more life events before the onset of depression than post-menopausal women. The implications of these findings are discussed.