Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol 41, Issue 8 605-615, Copyright © 1979 by American Psychosomatic Society

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Psychoendocrinology of the menstrual cycle: II. The relationship between enjoyment of activities, moods, and reproductive hormones

JM Abplanalp, RM Rose, AF Donnelly and L Livingston-Vaughan

Fourteen women served as subjects in a study of the relationships between emotional states, enjoyment of activities, and reproductive hormones. Each subject was psychologically and physically healthy, had a documented history of normal and regular menstrual cycles, was not taking oral contraceptives, and was involved in an ongoing heterosexual relationship. Each woman participated for at least two complete menstrual cycles. The Profile of Mood States and the Social-Sexual Activities Log were filled out daily; other questionnaires were completed less frequently. Blood was drawn between 3 and 5 times/week and was analyzed, using radioimmunoassay methods, from plasma levels of estradiol, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone. Twenty-seven of the twenty-eight cycles appeared to be normal and ovulatory, according to accepted endocrinological criteria. Results showed that in this sample of healthy women there was no relationship between mood states or enjoyment of activities and phase of the menstrual cycle, and no relationship between these psychological states and absolute levels of the reproductive hormones estradiol and progesterone.

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