Psychological Trauma-Related Symptoms Fluctuate Across Menstrual Cycle, Study Says

A new study found women who are likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD are currently facing a challenge, specifically during their menstrual cycles.

A ScienceAlert report specified that trauma-related symptoms might be more or less penetrating at "different points in menstrual cycles" posing challenges for women who have suffered from trauma and have been diagnosed with PTSD.

A study of 40 women who have a natural menstrual cycle and a history of trauma has suggested that people may experience more PTSD symptoms near ovulation when the so-called estradiol is high.

The results could have inferences for the manner PTSD is diagnosed and treated among women, as well as people who have their periods.

PTSD in Naturally Cycling Women

According to Jenna Rieder, a psychologist from Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, when in the cycle, women are assessed to have actually affected if they meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD, especially for those who are "right on the border."

Understanding how symptoms and moods are influenced by sex hormones could help women as well, who are double as likely as men to develop the psychological disorder following a trauma although have long been neglected in studies, handle their experiences post-trauma.

For naturally-cycling women, it may be helpful to understand how the menstrual cycle is affecting their symptoms. But when what's occurring biologically can be explained, it frequently becomes less threatening, Reider added.

Psychological Trauma

PTSD, which is formerly known as "shell rock" or "combat fatigue," is an anxiety disorder type that can progress after a person witnesses or experiences traumatic occurrences like a serious accident, natural disasters, violence, or sexual or physical assault.

An estimated one in 11 individuals will be diagnosed with PTSD during their lifetime. Symptoms of the disorder include intrusive thoughts, bright and intense memories, nightmares or flashbacks, avoidance behaviors, and emotional numbness, all of which can be stimulated in everyday life by hints that remind a person of the original trauma.

It's long believed that variations in sex hormones, a type of estrogen called "estradiol" might add to the vulnerability of women to developing trauma-related stress and PTSD.

'Estradiol'

Essentially, estradiol, as explained in the WebMD site, is the most biologically potent estrogen hormone type in women who are not pregnant or menopausal. More so, increasing estradiol levels across women's menstrual cycle eventually stimulates ovulation.

In their research published in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, the study authors have also linked low estradiol levels, which take place early on during the menstrual cycle, with fear, stress, and greater activity in the brain's emotional centers.

Nonetheless, untangling the impact of estradiol from other sex hormones that fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle like progesterone is challenging.

In this particular research, the authors not just looked at the menstrual cycle's distinct phases where hormone levels differ significantly.

In addition, they measured the levels of estradiol and two stress biomarkers in the saliva of women to make the link between sex hormones, trauma symptoms, and stress reaction. Women who have irregular periods were excluded from the research.

Study Findings

Based on their study findings, Rider and the team have suggested that "doctors could factor menstrual cycles into their care plans" for individuals who have PTSD, an initiative to enhance therapy results.

They could also help an individual anticipate changes in symptoms related to trauma that may arise month after month.

The research team said the cycle's low-estradiol portions might be the time window where interviews would be most sensitive to any existing symptoms of PTSD and when such reported symptoms might potentially be most severe.

Related information about the link between stress and the menstrual cycle is shown on The Doctors' YouTube video below:

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