Menstrual cycle changes in estradiol, stress reactivity, and emotion recognition

Previous research suggests that estradiol (E2) influences mood, but the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. The current study measured affect and two proposed mechanisms – psychosocial stress reactivity and emotion recognition – in the early and late follicular menstrual phases, which differ in E2 levels. 29 reproductive-aged women completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule – Extended (PANAS-X), a facial emotion recognition task, and the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) in the early (EF; low E2) and late (LF; high E2) follicular phases. Visual analogue scales measured subjective stress, insecurity, rejection, irritability, and contentment throughout the TSST. Salivary E2 was measured during each menstrual phase, and salivary cortisol was assessed at baseline and at 10 and 20 minutes after the TSST. Positive affect (p=.012) was significantly higher in the LF phase, and negative affect (p=.022) was significantly higher in the EF phase. Accuracy for recognizing anger (p=.026) was significantly higher in the EF phase but not for the other emotions assessed. Cortisol AUC with respect to increase was larger in the EF phase (p=.005). Additionally, the change in E2 from the EF to the LF phase was associated with a decline in fear recognition accuracy (r=-.41, p=.028) and a decrease in post-TSST irritability (r=-.41, p=.037). These findings suggest that menstrual cycle increases in E2 are associated with increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, more favorable cortisol responses to psychosocial stress, and decreased recognition of negative emotions.