Estrogen replacement in perimenopause-related depression: A preliminary report

Objectives: We examined the efficacy of estrogen in the treatment of depression in perimenopausal women with and without hot flushes. Study Design: Women with perimenopause-related depression were randomized in a double-blind parallel design to receive either 17β-estradiol or placebo for 3 weeks. Subsequently, women receiving estradiol during the first 3 weeks continued receiving estradiol for an additional 3 weeks, whereas women who had received placebo crossed over to estradiol for 3 weeks. Outcome measures included standardized mood rating scales and a visual analog scale self-report instrument. Results: Of 34 female subjects, 16 received estradiol first and 18 received placebo first. After 3 weeks of estradiol, standardized mood rating scale scores and visual analog scale symptom scores (eg, sadness, anhedonia, and social isolation) were significantly decreased compared with baseline scores (P