Effects of oral contraceptives on daily self-ratings of positive and negative affect

The present study examined whether duration of oral contraceptive (OC) use could account for the inconsistent findings of previous studies on the relationship between affect and OC use. This study was the first to examine positive affect variability and to directly compare early, late, and never users of OCs, The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ) were filled out daily for 35 days by 9 6 female university students (17 first-time OC users, 34 long-time users, and 45 neverusers). Despite predictions to the contrary, no group differences were found for negative affect, positive affect, or affect variability. However, exploratory analyses suggested that OC type (monophasic vs. triphasic) has a differential effect on positive affect variability across the menstrual cycle for first-time and long-time OC users. Neither somatic symptoms or somatic symptom variability could entirely account for these differences. The overall findings suggest that while no common change in affect or affect variability occurs in all women taking OCs, OC type (a pharmacological factor), duration of use, and individual difference variables may warrant further exploration as mediating variables in OC-related affect changes. Finally, while the main results found no support for the role of the “survivor effect" as an artifactual confound, the results of an exploratory comparison suggest that for specific groups of women, it may be a confound

Effects of hormones on symmetry detection and perceptions of facial attractiveness /Oinonen, Kirsten. --

Research on the perception of facial attractiveness suggests hormonal involvement in mate selection mechanisms. Facial symmetry is one of four factors that is reliably associated with facial attractiveness, and there is evidence that people with symmetrical bodies and faces have adaptive characteristics (e.g., higher fertility, physical fitness, psychological health, and the potential to provide sexual pleasure). During the preovulatory phase of their menstrual cycle when conception is most likely, women's bodies are more symmetrical, and women show a visual preference for males with darker skin and more masculine facial features, as well as an olfactory preference for males with more symmetrical bodies. Previous research has not examined whether women also show a preovulatory phase advantage in the visual detection of facial symmetry. In the present study, 45 women performed symmetry detection tests and rated the attractiveness of male faces that varied in symmetry level (low, normal, high, and perfect) at two of three phases in their menstrual cycle (menstrual, preovulatory, luteal). Although there was no evidence to support the hypotheses that women are better at detecting, and show a preference for, symmetrical male faces during the preovulatory phase, there was evidence of an activational effect of hormones on facial symmetry detection and mate selection. The ability to detect facial symmetry was highest in the menstrual phase of the cycle and women rated all faces as sexier during the preovulatory phase, compared to the rest of the cycle. The findings were interpreted in the context of asymmetric hemispheric activation and evolutionary mate selection theory. Also noteworthy was a dose-effect association between alcohol consumption and decreased visuoperceptual learning. The present Endings provide strong support for a role of gonadal steroids in modulating both perceptual abilities and mate selection criteria

Emotional memory in oral contraceptive users : Negative stimuli are more forgettable

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Sage in Psychological reports on June 19, 2019, available online: https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294119856554Recent research suggests oral contraceptive use is associated with altered memory for emotional story information, blunted stress hormone responses to emotional stimuli, and altered structure or function of the amygdala and hippocampus. This study examined the extent to which oral contraceptives influence relative recall of: (a) the spatial location of emotional versus neutral stimuli, and (b) positive versus negative emotional stimuli. Participants (58 oral contraceptive users, 40 nonusers, and 37 men) completed an emotional spatial memory test and were evaluated on short-term recall and long-term (one week) recall. There was no evidence for group differences in recall of the locations of emotional versus neutral stimuli. However, oral contraceptive users remembered relatively more positive than negative items compared to nonusers and men on the spatial memory test. This effect was driven by oral contraceptive users recalling fewer negative items than free-cyclers. The results indicate that hormonal contraceptives may decrease immediate recall of negative emotional stimuli

Psychometric Properties of a DSM-5-Based Screening Tool for Women's Perceptions of Premenstrual Symptoms

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Sage in Psychological reports on Feb. 14, 2021, available online: https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294120979696A premenstrual screening tool is needed when time constraints and attrition limit the feasibility of daily ratings. The present study examines the utility of a novel, 33-item, retrospective, dimensional, DSM-5-based, screening measure developed to explore women’s perceptions of premenstrual symptomatology. This is the first measure that examines perception of impairment for each DSM-5 symptom and assesses the frequency criterion. Participants (N = 331) reported symptoms ranging from none to a level consistent with a provisional DSM-5 diagnosis of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Initial psychometric properties indicated a five-factor structure: (1) affective symptoms; (2) fatigue, sleep, and anhedonia; (3) symptom frequency; (4) impairment and severity of appetite change and physical symptoms; and (5) difficulty concentrating. The total symptom scale and the frequency, severity, and impairment subscales demonstrated high internal consistency. Strong correlations between this dimensional measure and other retrospective and prospective premenstrual symptom measures suggest strong convergent, concurrent, and predictive validity. Premenstrual symptom groups created using this screening measure (minimal, mild/moderate, severe) differed on other retrospective and prospective measures of premenstrual symptoms. There was evidence of divergent validity and lack of an acquiescence bias. We also report data describing women’s perceptions of the frequency, level of impairment, and level of severity for each DSM-5 PMDD symptom over a 12-month period and discuss implications for future research on premenstrual phenomenology. Initial evidence for the reliability and construct validity of this symptom screening measure suggests potential value for assessing premenstrual symptomatology in research and practice

The hormonal sensitivity hypothesis : a review and new findings

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by ScienceDirect in Medical Hypotheses on March 6, 2017, available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2017.03.012Previous women’s health practitioners and researchers have postulated that some women are particularly sensitive to hormonal changes occurring during reproductive events. We hypothesize that some women are particularly sensitive to hormonal changes occurring across their reproductive lifespan. To evaluate this hypothesis, we reviewed findings from the existing literature and findings from our own lab. Taken together, the evidence we present shows a recurring pattern of hormonal sensitivity at predictable but different times across the lifespan of some women (i.e., menarche, the premenstrual phase, hormonal contraceptive use, pregnancy, the postpartum period, and menopause). These findings provide support for the hypothesis that there is a subgroup of women who are more susceptible to physical, psychological, and sexual symptoms related to hormonal shifts or abrupt hormonal fluctuations that occur throughout the reproductive lifespan. We propose that this pattern reflects a Hormonal Sensitivity Syndrome