title: Sexuality and androgens in women with cyclical mood changes and pre-menstrual syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the relation between androgen levels and sexual interest in women with different kinds of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Causal comparative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Swedish university hospital outpatient clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy women with cyclical mood changes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre-menstrual syndrome patients were divided into those with and those without preovulatory symptoms. In 37 women, early follicular phase blood samples were analyzed for androstenedione, testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), progesterone and estradiol, using radioimmunoassay. The participants were divided into subgroups depending on whether the levels of androgens and SHBG were above or below the median. In 33 of them it was possible to compare the cyclicity in sexual parameters between these subgroups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Daily ratings of sexual parameters and hormonal analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma testosterone was significantly lower and SHBG significantly higher in women with luteal phase symptoms compared with those with additional follicular phase symptoms. ANOVA showed significant cyclicity for all sexual parameters consistently. For the "sexual feelings" and "pleasant sexual thoughts" parameters, cyclicity was the same whether or not the hormonal levels were "high" or "low."
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The "Pure-PMS" group and the "pre-menstrual-exacerbation" groups differed in their androgen and SHBG levels. Women suffering from PMS with higher neuroticism Eysenck Personality Inventory scores or "low" levels of androgens and SHBG would be more likely to have a decreased sexual interest pre-menstrually than would women with a high level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Umeå Neurosteroid Research Center, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ulla-Britt
authors.initials: UB
authors.lastname: Ekholm
authors.forename: Sahruh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Turkmen
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hammarbäck
authors.forename: Torbjörn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bäckström
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005498:Follicular Phase / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007989:Libido / Q000502:physiology*; D008183:Luteal Phase / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin
keywords: Pre-menstrual syndrome; androgens; cyclical mood changes; sex hormone-binding globulin; sexuality