title: Association of sex hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin with depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women:  the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sex hormones are thought to play an important role in the pathophysiology of depressive disorders in women. This study assessed the associations of total testosterone (T), bioavailable T, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) with depressive symptoms stratified on postmenopausal stage to determine whether the associations were strongest for early postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women (N = 1,824) free of depressive symptoms at baseline (2000-2002) in the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis were categorized into tertiles of years postmenopause: T1, 0 to 10 years; T2, 11 to 20 years; and T3, 21 to 58 years. Multivariable-adjusted relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs were computed for the incidence of depressive symptoms, as defined by a score of 16 or higher on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale at examination 3 (2004-2005).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In analysis including all sex hormones, the RR for incident depressive symptoms associated with 1 unit higher log total T was 0.57 (P = 0.13), with log estradiol was 0.78 (P = 0.04), with log SHBG was 1.84 (P = 0.003), and with log dehydroepiandrosterone was 1.45 (P = 0.08) in T1. Without adjustment for SHBG, the RR for log bioavailable T was 0.16 (P = 0.04). However, in T2 and T3, there were no meaningful associations of hormone or SHBG levels with incident depressive symptoms. When stratified by HT use, results were consistent for HT users but attenuated for HT nonusers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In early postmenopausal women, sex hormones were associated with incident depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA. l-colangelo@northwestern.edu
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Colangelo
authors.forename: Lynette L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Craft
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.forename: Kiang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Pamela J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Schreiner
authors.forename: Erin D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Michos
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gapstur
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology*; D044383:Black People; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology*; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000032:analysis*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D004958:Estradiol