Hormone changes during puberty may have impacts on brain structure and emotional regulation in girls, with a new Orygen study laying an important foundation for better understanding how these fluctuations might impact girls’ risk of experiencing mental ill-health.
The study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, is one of the first to investigate how fluctuations of oestradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) relate to brain structure and symptoms of mental ill-health in teenage girls, finding a complex set of associations.
Analysing data from 145 girls aged 11-17, the study found that greater E2 fluctuations were associated with changes in mood from week to week, but better emotion regulation and fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms.
Lead author and postdoctoral researcher at Orygen, Dr Muskan Khetan, said that while previous adult findings suggested hormone variability could contribute to emotional dysregulation and mental ill-health at key transitional times (such as postpartum and perimenopause) for women, research into younger women was lacking.
“Evidence during adolescence remains limited, and the underlying neural mechanisms not yet understood, despite the fact adolescence is a time of increased mental health vulnerability for all young people,” Dr Khetan said.
“We know girls are at increased risk for mental ill-health during this time, and differences in hormone dynamics during puberty may help explain this vulnerability.”
The study found differences in short-term compared to long-term fluctuations, with weekly reductions in E2 corresponding to lower positive mood, while greater overall individual E2 fluctuation across the month was associated with fewer mental health problems.
Similarly, weekly changes in P4 corresponded with increased weekly negative mood, while greater individual P4 fluctuation across the month was potentially associated with healthy brain structure development.
"These findings suggest that although adolescents may experience short-term mood changes alongside hormonal fluctuations, greater hormone variability is not necessarily associated with poorer mental health," Dr Khetan said.
"Rather than viewing hormonal fluctuations as inherently problematic, it's important to understand how different patterns of hormonal change relate to brain development and emotional wellbeing – and we need further longitudinal research to understand when and how these individual variabilities are associated with longer-term mental health challenges.
“Understanding these hormone dynamics further could help us better tailor mental health support to girls when they need it most.”