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TITLE:
The female brain hypoestrogenic continuum from
the premenstrual syndrome to menopause. A hypothesis and review of supporting data.
AUTHOR:
Arpels JC
AUTHOR AFFILIATION:
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and
Reproductive Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
SOURCE:
J Reprod Med 1996 Sep;41(9):633-9
NLM CIT. ID:
97041915
ABSTRACT:
OBJECTIVE: To propose a theory to help unify the
symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), postpartum blues and depression, the
perimenopausal transition and menopause. STUDY DESIGN: A review of supporting data is used
to explain the possible neuroendocrine mechanism upon which the hypothesis is based.
CONCLUSION: The brain in women has been shown to be an estrogen target organ. Common
symptoms are shared by women complaining of PMS, postpartum blues, the perimenopausal
transition and menopause: depression, sleep disturbance, irritability, anxiety and panic,
memory and cognitive dysfunction and a decreased sense of well-being. The antiestrogens
progesterone, progestin and tamoxifen may also elicit these same symptoms. It is proposed
that whenever brain estrogen levels fall below the minimum brain estrogen requirement, for
whatever reason and at whatever age, brain center dysfunction may ensue.
When my office
lease expired at the end of 2004, I decided to turn it into a
"sabbatical" from my private practice. Many years ago, in my
grandfather's 89th year of life, he told me, "John, it is important
to smell the roses while you can still smell them." His life
gave living a very good reputation. It is also true that the
pursuit of that philosophy required my grandfather to to re-open his
assay office/ore market in Wickenburg, Arizona as a 75-year-old because
he had run a little short of retirement money. Thus, if blessed with his
luck and health, I'll be back.. --jjh
