Stable serum levels of relaxin throughout the menstrual cycle: a preliminary comparison of women with premenstrual dysphoria and controls.

• Serum levels of relaxin in 25 women with premenstrual dysphoria and 25 age-matched controls were determined at three time points during the menstrual cycle. At the same time, levels of estradiol, progesterone, 17-beta-OH-progesterone, free testosterone, total testosterone, sex hormone binding hormone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, and 3-alpha-androstanediol glucuronide were determined. Detectable levels of relaxin were found in all women in both the follicular and luteal phase as well as around ovulation, the inter-individual variations being larger than intra-individual differences. The levels of relaxin were not influenced by the fluctuation of the other reproductive hormones. A significant difference between the two groups of women was observed, subjects with premenstrual dysphoria displaying reduced levels of relaxin (p < 0.05) compared to controls. Also, when analysed with respect to a variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism (CT repeats followed by GT repeats) in the promotor region of the relaxin H2 gene, women with premenstrual dysphoria (n = 29) were found to display significantly longer GT repeats than controls (n = 35).

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MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Fysiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Physiology (hsv//eng)

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