title: Menopause and mental well-being: timing of symptoms and timing of hormone treatment.
abstract: In the aftermath of the Women's Health Initiative studies, both the clinical and basic science communities had to sort out divergent results among experimental findings, observational data and randomized controlled trials in order to establish a shared analysis. The scientific community formally debates the role of different HRT formulations, hormone doses, time of treatment initiation since the menopause and the age of treated women. Basic scientists demonstrated that the multiple neuroprotective effects of estrogen on brain cells may induce a differential biological response according to the time of treatment. Progesterone (but not all synthetic progestins) also has pivotal neuroactive functions in animal models of reproductive aging. Additionally, epidemiological surveys provide information regarding the detrimental role of hypogonadism on mental well-being. The present article briefly summarizes current evidence supporting the neuroactive role of estrogen, with reference to the clinical finding sustaining the intriguing hypothesis of the early female brain senescence as a highly responsive period to estrogen treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproductive Medicine & Child Development, Division of Gynecology & Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. nicola.pluchino@med.unipi.it
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pluchino
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bucci
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cela
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cubeddu
authors.forename: Andrea Riccardo
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Genazzani
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects*; D000367:Age Factors; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000172:deficiency; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens