# Late Luteal Phase Reactivity to Stress

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2020 · $239,850

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a psychiatric condition affecting approximately 20% of reproductive-aged
women. Despite its high prevalence, very little is known about its etiology. We have designed a future study to
show that variation in the reproductive hormone kinetics across the menstrual cycle leads to PMS and to clarify
multi-domain pathways of this relationship. The model of this study includes an acute psychosocial stress
reactivity component. Therefore, the proposed study will clarify the time within the menstrual cycle at which
stress reactivity differs between women with PMS diagnosis and healthy controls. We hypothesize a blunted
cortisol response in women with PMS diagnosis upon acute stress challenge during the late luteal phase of the
menstrual cycle. Results of this research will advance our understanding of the physiological and psychological
milieu which sensitizes susceptible women to be especially vulnerable to stress prior to menstruation. The
proposed study will enroll one hundred and twenty healthy women with regular menstrual cycles. They will chart
their symptoms, menstruation timing and ovulation for two menstrual cycles. This data will form the basis for
PMS diagnosis and predictable bounds of menstrual cycle phases. In the third menstrual cycle, study
participants will complete the Trier Social Stress Test session in the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, cardiovascular system and affective
state will be evaluated at baseline and at seven time points following the stress procedure. Knowledge gained
from this experiment will increase our understanding of acute stress reactivity specific to the study population,
as well as collect key data for our long-term program of research, designed to reduce clinical heterogeneity in
PMS.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10057230
- **Project number:** 5R21MH119642-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Ajna Hamidovic
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $239,850
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-26 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10057230

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10057230, Late Luteal Phase Reactivity to Stress (5R21MH119642-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10057230. Licensed CC0.

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