Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Relationship Between The Cortisol-Estradiol Phase Difference And Affect In Women, Karyn Butler

Karyn Butler, PhD, CNM

Affective disorders impact women’s health, with a lifetime prevalence of over twelve per cent. They have been correlated with reproductive cycle factors, under the regulation of hormonal circadian rhythms. In affective disorders, circadian rhythms may become desynchronized. The circadian rhythms of cortisol and estradiol may play a role in affective disorders. The purpose of this study was to explore the temporal relationship between the rhythms of cortisol and estradiol and its relationship to affect. It was hypothesized that a cortisol-estradiol phase difference (PD) exists that correlates with optimal affect. A small scale, comparative, correlational design was used to test the …