Sex steroids and affect in the surgical menopause: a double-blind, cross-over study

The effect of estrogen and/or androgen on mood in surgically menopausal women was investigated with a prospective, double-blind, cross-over design. Oophorectomized women who received either estrogen (E), androgen (A), or a combined estrogen-androgen preparation (E-A) parenterally attained lower depression scores during both treatment phases compared to a placebo group (PL), coincident with their higher plasma estrogen and testosterone levels. When steroids were withdrawn, depression scores of all oophorectomized women were significantly higher than those of a hysterectomized control group with intact ovaries (CON). The A group also had higher hostility scores than the E, PL, and CON groups. These data provide evidence of a covariation between circulating levels of estrogen and testosterone and certain affects in healthy women.