Trial reportPsychoneuroendocrinology2023
Effects of estrogen and progesterone on neuroactive steroids and cytokines in patients with suicidality.
Trial report in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03720847 (Ovarian Hormone Withdrawal and Suicide Risk), which is not on this map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Ovarian Hormone Withdrawal and Suicide Risk: An Experimental Approach
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Treatments for Suicidality in People Living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD): A Systematic Review.Administration and policy in mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Exploring risk signals of association between drugs and suicide: a retrospective investigation from 2004 to 2024.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- High testosterone levels associated with elevated suicidal risk in male adolescents with depression.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Genetic, Epigenetic, and Hormonal Regulation of Stress Phenotypes in Major Depressive Disorder: From Maladaptation to Resilience.Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 2025Review
- Suicide by Firearm and Hormonal Imbalances: A Forensic Case Report With Literature Review.Cureus · 2025Article
- Luteal phase sertraline treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD): Effects on markers of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis activation and inflammation.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024Article
- Reduced Levels of Neurosteroids in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients.Biomolecules · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIn ovulating psychiatric patients experiencing suicidality, suicidal ideation (SI) often peaks perimenstrually. Our recent double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover randomized clinical trial (RCT; NCT03720847) showed that perimenstrual administration of estradiol and progesterone (EP) can prevent this peak in SI and depressed mood. In this pre-registered follow-up analysis, we studied how the menstrual cycle and experimental manipulation affected two neurobiological systems associated with the menstrual cycle and suicide risk: GABAergic neuroactive steroids (NAS) and peripheral cytokines.
methodsIn 26 psychiatric outpatients with natural menstrual cycles and past-month SI, we analyzed serum samples from three blood draws (midluteal, perimenstrual, midfollicular) per experimental condition (EP vs placebo) timed to a luteinizing hormone-surge ovulation test. Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), we measured the progesterone (P4)-derived pregnane NAS (3α,5α)- 3-hydroxypregnan20-one (3α,5α-THP), (3α,5β)- 3-hydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5β-THP), (3α,5α)- 3,21-dihydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THDOC), (3α,5α)- 3-hydroxyandrostan-17-one (3α,5α-A), the androstane NAS (3α,5β)- 3-hydroxyandrostan-17-one (3α,5β-A), (3α,5α,17β)-androstane-3,17-diol (3α,5α-A-diol), (3α,5β,17β)-androstane-3,17-diol (3α,5β-A-diol), and their precursor pregnenolone. High sensitivity multiplex assay kits quantified peripheral cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α.
resultsP4-derived NAS fluctuated in parallel with P4 and increased with exogenous perimenstrual administration of EP. Conversely, androstane NAS either did not fluctuate or fluctuated inversely from P4, and these NAS decreased with exogenous EP. Peripheral cytokines did not show cyclical patterns, but each significantly predicted SI, depressed mood, or anxiousness. Concomitant SSRI medication use predicted lower androstane NAS.
conclusionsWhile preliminary and exploratory, our findings provide critical descriptive context for future studies. Further, our work presents menstrual cycle-related patterns for ten frequently-studied biomarkers, allowing for improved quality of comparisons involving naturally-cycling populations in research.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.