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Effect of the Menstrual Cycle on the Symptoms of Depression and Treatment Response

NCT00188396 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 44

Last updated 2009-03-13

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Objectives: This prospective investigation will compare premenopausal, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women's response to antidepressant medication. The effects of the menstrual cycle on the symptoms of depression and antidepressant response will also be examined.

Hypotheses: Premenopausal women will show a significantly better response to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) than peri- or postmenopausal women. Premenopausal women during lower estrogen phases of the menstrual cycle will complain of increased depressive symptoms despite treatment. Perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with irregular periods and generally low estrogen levels will show less symptom variability over time.

Method

Subjects: Eighty-four women (28 premenopausal, 28 perimenopausal, 28 postmenopausal) meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for major depressive disorder will be enrolled in the study.

Procedure: All the subjects will be followed prospectively for 12 weeks and through 2 menstrual cycles while receiving treatment with a standard SSRI antidepressant agent. All eligible women will have a structured clinical interview and will complete questionnaires assessing their depressive symptoms. Blood samples will be collected to evaluate for reproductive hormone levels during the late follicular, midluteal and late luteal phases of the menstrual cycle for two consecutive cycles. Serum SSRI levels will also be collected at these times. As the women in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal groups either have irregular menstrual cycles or no longer cycle, they will have blood samples drawn at baseline and on 6 other occasions.

Research Implications: As the majority of psychiatric medication is prescribed to women, understanding the interplay between the menstrual cycle and antidepressant medication will ultimately translate into more diverse and improved patient care. The proposed study is one within a developing research program, which will in part be further guided by this study.

Conditions

Interventions

DRUG

Citalopram

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Ontario Mental Health Foundation

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • University Health Network, Toronto

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Sophie Grigoriadis, PhD, MD, FRCPC · University Health Network, Toronto

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2004-04-30
Primary Completion
2008-10-31
Completion
2008-10-31

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT00188396 on ClinicalTrials.gov