HealthDay (10/28) reports, “Women’s symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may vary with their menstrual cycle, which could have implications for diagnosis and treatment, researchers say.” The “study included 40 women between 18 and 33 years of age who had PTSD after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as sexual violence or a serious injury.” The findings [pdf] were published online in the journal Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy.
MedPage Today (10/28, Grant) reports that according to researchers, “lower estradiol was associated with a higher number of total trauma symptoms (rs = -0.36, P=0.023), more re-experiencing symptoms (rs = -0.32, P=0.046), and more avoidance symptoms (rs = -0.40, P=0.010) that were also more severe (rs = -0.34, P=0.034).” Furthermore, “These findings were consistent with past research, which found links between lower estradiol levels and a heightened activation of the brain’s limbic areas, greater fear responses, and the presence of intrusive memories.”
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— “PTSD Symptoms May Vary Throughout Menstrual Cycle: Study ” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, October 28, 2021