[Menopause and anxiety: focus on steroidal hormones and GABAA receptor]

In the menopause transition, around 35% of women will seek medical help for menopausal symptoms. At the climacteric, various symptoms such as forgetfulness, anxiety, depressive neurosis, abnormal sensation, hot flush and sleeplessness are often observed due to hypofunction of the ovaries. There is some indication that women become more anxious during times of relatively low level of estrogen and progesterone such as premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, maternity blues and menopausal state. The exact mechanism behind it is still unclear but is probably related to the decrease of ovarian hormones, which may be triggering psychiatric mood disorders. It is known that ovarian hormones act on specific areas of the brain and appear to act as anxiolytics. Certain progesterone metabolites are anesthetic and have antiepileptic and anxiolytic properties. These steroids modulate the type A gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA)/benzodiazepine receptor. This may help explain the increased frequency of anxiety disorders and mood disorders in the early postmenopausal period. In addition, estrogen also improves memory and performance in patients with mild Alzheimer's dementia. These effects can be related to amplifying effects of estrogen on excitatory amino acids in the brain. This is suggested that gonadal steroidal hormones seemed to be one of the essential substances for the maintenance of the limbic system and forebrain function which regulated anxiety, mood, memory and cognitive functions in menopausal women.