View clinical trials related to PMDD.
Filter by:Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a sex-specific depressive disorder where depressive symptom severity drastically changes in relation to menstrual cycle phase. It is characterized by late luteal phase symptoms of affective lability, irritability, depressed mood, and anxiety. A lot remains unclear and further studies are needed in order to improve the understanding of PMDD and to differentiate it from major depressive disorder (MDD). To date, and in contrast to MDD, the neural correlates of PMDD have been sparsely and poorly investigated. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the neural correlates of PMDD as compared to MDD and to relate them to stress reactivity. Therefore, three groups of naturally cycling women will be investigated and compared, namely (1) women with MDD, (2) women with PMDD, and (3) healthy control women. Stress and HPA axis activity are assumed to play a crucial role in the development of many mental disorders, including MDD. How stress reactivity and HPA axis activity are connected to PMDD still needs to be investigated. Furthermore, the HPA axis can affect or suppress the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, which is involved mainly in the reproductive, but also the immune system, making it an important candidate for the investigation of sex-specific differences in stress reactivity. There are sex-specific differences in stress reactivity, but also in the prevalence of stress-related diseases. Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression than men and the first onset of MDD usually peaks during the reproductive years. As to why these differences exist, a recent theory suggests that ovarian hormone fluctuations function as modulators of women's susceptibility to stress and that altered reactivity to stressors during different cycle phases plays a role in the etiology of depressive disorders. This hypothesis extends the Social Signal Transduction Theory of Depression which first and foremost relates depression to inflammation. They postulate a critical role of cytokines for understanding the pathogenesis of depression. Therefore, ovarian hormone fluctuations, but also inflammation in regard to MDD and PMDD and stress reactivity will be investigated in this study.
This study that aims to evaluate the psychophysiology of premenstrual mood disorders (PMDs) at baseline and after treatment with sertraline. Participants will include women with PMDs and healthy female controls. Participation involves a baseline visit to determine eligibility and three study visits that include questionnaires and stress reactivity assessment via an acoustic startle paradigm. Female participants with PMDs will receive sertraline during the premenstrual phase.
This study will determine whether uninterrupted treatment with birth control pills over several menstrual cycles prevents severe premenstrual syndrome (PMDD). Previous studies have shown that the hormones estrogen and progesterone regulate mood in women with MRMD. This study will use various treatment regimens with birth control pills and placebo (sugar pill) to clarify the relationships among estrogen and progesterone, the menstrual cycle, and mood. Healthy women between 18 and 45 years of age who menstruate may be eligible for this 15-week study. Candidates are screened with a physical examination, blood and urine tests, an electrocardiogram, and 3 months of symptoms ratings to confirm MRMD. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. Group 1 takes a birth control pill every day and on three occasions takes a placebo capsule. Group 2 takes a birth control pill most but not all days and on three occasions takes a placebo capsule. Group 3 takes a birth control pill every day and on three occasions takes another medication called CDB-2914 that causes menstrual bleeding to occur. Participants come to the NIH clinic every other week for blood tests and measurement of vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, and temperature) and to complete symptoms ratings scales. Subjects who develop breakthrough bleeding (menstruation earlier than expected) will have a transvaginal ultrasound. For this procedure, a probe is inserted into the vagina for about 10 minutes. The probe gives off and receives sound waves that can be used to form a picture of the endometrium (lining of the uterus).