ABSTRACT
Triggered by sex steroids produced by the ovaries, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) may be, and have often been, regarded primarily as endocrine conditions. Attempts to explain, in terms of differences with respect to hormone levels, why certain women are afflicted by premenstrual symptoms, while other women are spared from such complaints, however, have consistently failed. Therefore, it is nowadays generally agreed that women with premenstrual complaints differ from controls not with respect to ovarian function, but with respect to how responsive the target organs are to the influence of gonadal steroids. Supporting this view, administration of exogenous sexual hormones following the suppression of the endogenous gonadal steroid production elicits PMS-like complaints in women with PMS but not in controls.1
