MENSTRUAL-CYCLE STATUS AND ADRENOCORTICAL REACTIVITY TO PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS

Women either using or not using oral contraceptives were exposed to the psychological stress of self-evaluation at different stages of the menstrual cycle. Adrenocortical reactivity to psychological stress was significantly greater in women tested during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle than in women tested during the midcycle phase. If women were taking oral contraceptives, no such differences were observed in adrenocortical reactivity relative to the phase of the cycle. The subjects'' reports of their affective responses to the task did not differ as a function of either menstrual cycle status or oral contraceptive use. Physiological reactivity to psychological stress is probably related to the magnitude of fluctuations in the levels of the gonadal hormones across the menstrual cycle.