Female Hormones and Depression

by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD

Recent research review by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) looked at hormonal dysfunction in women as potential causes for depression.

The focus of the review by the NIWH investigators and their subsequent report was on how the female reproductive system interacts with the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, which regulates the body’s stress response. This mechanism can set up a biochemical environment for psychological disorders in females. It was noted that females are twice as likely as men to experience depression.

Through the HP-axis, stress in women impacts the reproductive hormones, which can upset patterns of ovulation. This upset can contribute to the loss of menses and to infertility. If the inter-relationship of stress and female reproductive hormones becomes chronic, behavior and mood disorders and depression can increase significantly. When oxytocin is suppressed due to excessive stress hormones, fertilized eggs can not implant into the uterus. This is believed to be a primary cause of infertility in American women, owing to our highly stressful lifestyle.

Depression, eating disorders, alcoholism, or other addictions may occur with the estrogen-induced disruption of normal HPA function. The key to preventing or correcting the problem, as we find in many physiological conditions, is to create a more balanced, less stressful lifestyle. If the body’s stress adaptation system becomes overwhelmed and cannot appropriately adapt to the environment and demands of everyday life, many disorders and conditions can develop, depression being just one of them.

If the body’s stress adaptation system becomes overwhelmed and cannot appropriately adapt to the environment and demands of everyday life, many disorders and conditions can develop, depression being just one of them.

Regarding postpartum depression, the investigators identified that chronic hypersecretion of the stress hormone cortisol during pregnancy creates a temporary suppression of adrenal function following delivery. This, coupled with the sudden drop in hormonal levels of estrogen after birth, may be a significant factor in postpartum depression or subsequent immune dysfunctions such as postpartum thyroid conditions.

It is very important for women, because of our very integrated hormonal and nervous systems, to work towards a balanced, low-stress lifestyle. Unlike our male counterparts, our hormonal system immediately lets us know when we are “off center” by delivering loud messages through hormonal dysfunction.

-G.