Ovarian Hormone Withdrawal, Anhedonia, and Reward Sensitivity in Women With Premenstrual Exacerbations of Depression
Status:
RECRUITING
Trial end date:
2026-07-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how hormonal changes over the menstrual cycle affect mood symptoms in reproductive-aged women with depression that worsens during the premenstrual period. The main questions it aims to answer are:
--How do fluctuations in estradiol and progesterone across the menstrual cycle affect the ability to experience pleasure and the neural sensitivity to reward in hormone-sensitive, depressed women? And consequently, how does stabilizing the luteal phase decline in estrogen and progesterone (using estradiol patches and progesterone pills) affect these changes?
Participants will:
* Receive hormones followed by placebo, or vice versa, for a total of four weeks across three menstrual cycles
* Complete daily mood ratings
* Collect home urine samples for hormone testing
* Complete five biobehavioral testing sessions during which neural responses are recorded (via electroencephalography, or EEG) during an acute stress task and computer tasks