CIRCADIAN AND CIRCATRIGINTAN RHYTHMS OF BIOGENIC-AMINES IN PREMENSTRUAL-SYNDROME (PMS)

Circadian and circatrigintan (menstrual) rhythms in biogenic amines were studied in premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Selection of patients and controls was based on assessment of Menstrual Distress Questionnaires (MDQs). Patients showed a clear increase in menstrual tension symptoms in the week before menstruation, both during selection and during the study. In the group of control subjects, there was hardly any increase in average MDQ symptoms during the late luteal phase. Diurnal urine and nocturnal urine were collected on days 5, 11, 17, 21, and 25 of the cycle. Blood was sampled from subjects in supine position through an intravenous (iv) catheter the morning after urine collection. Patients showed a higher tryptophan (Trp) and epinephrine (Epi) level in plasma, higher excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) in urine and a larger volume of 24-hr urine. Excretion of norepinephrine (NE) in 24-hr urine showed a linear increase during the cycle, while excretion of dopamine (DA) showed a quadratic pattern, being lowest at day 17. Homovanillic acid (HVA) and MHPG gave cubic patterns, i.e., an increase during the follicular phase, followed by a decrease after ovulation and a subsequent increase in the late luteal phase. Plasma Epi showed a linear decline during the cycle in patients, but not in control subjects. Excretion of NE, Epi, vanilmandelic acid (VMA), and HVA in urine was higher during the day than at night. The results of this study suggest that the metabolism of biogenic amines in patients suffering from PMS differs from that in control subjects, but that, except for plasma Epi, changes do not parallel the actual presence of PMS symptoms.