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Depression, Estrogen, and the Women's Health Initiative

Received Nov. 11, 2003; revision received March 3, 2004; accepted April 15, 2004. From the University Health Network Women's Health Program, University of Toronto. Address reprint requests to Dr. Stewart, University Health Network Women's Health Program, 657 University Ave., ML 2-004, Toronto, Ont. M5G 2N2, Canada; donna.stewart{at}uhn.on.ca (e-mail).

This clinical observation report compares hormone use and clinical presentation in a series of middle-aged depressed women before and after publication of the Women's Health Initiative. Depressed women over age 40 seen at a general hospital academic women's affective disorders practice 6 months before and after publication of the Women's Health Initiative were compared for medication changes, hormone therapy, lifetime depressive episodes, time since last episode, time to depression recurrence after hormone cessation, symptoms, and treatment response. More women stopped hormone therapy and reported onset of depression within 3 weeks of hormone discontinuation after than before publication of the Women's Health Initiative. Depression in most women responded to reinstitution of estrogen or initiation or increase in antidepressant dose. Discontinuation of hormone therapy appears to be associated with the rapid recurrence of depression in some women with a history of depression. Randomized controlled trials in middle-aged depressed women of estrogen or a selective estrogen receptor modulator as monotherapy or as an augmentation agent are urgently needed.

Key Words: depression • gender • other somatic therapy

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