Female Hormones and the Risk of Addiction?
When thinking about the chemical components of addiction, many people consider various chemicals in the brain. Particularly those that increase or decrease when certain substances are used. Terms like dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, glutamate, or gamma aminobutyrate are generally familiar to the average person. Each of these are neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers that brain cells communicate with. These chemicals have many roles, including to influence a person’s perception, as well as experience of pleasure, motivation, inhibition, disinhibition, or reward.
Neurotransmitters have a major role in the way a substance can make a person feel. It can also influence the role of abuse and addiction. However, these chemicals are not the only influences. According to emerging research, it is believed that some hormones might also have a role in addiction. Hormones are another type of chemical messenger that travels through the bloodstream and affects how cells behave towards different organs in the body. It is certainly possible for hormones to enhance the likelihood of certain people becoming addicted to a substance. It is also plausible for hormones to affect the way in which a person deals, or copes with, an addiction.
Could Females Be More Vulnerable?
Researchers have suggested that hormones produced by a woman during her menstrual cycle could cause a vulnerability towards abusing substances, and also relapse. To understand how ovulatory-related hormones might influence a woman’s addictive tendencies, Vanderbilt University researchers monitored the way male and female rats interacted with a small lever. When the lever was pressed, sometimes a jolt of cocaine was released into the neck area of the rat. Researchers also tracked the rats ovulatory cycle, known as the estrus cycle.
Cocaine was only released when a light was lit up above the lever. If the light was off and the rat pressed on the lever, nothing happened. In addition to the rats learning that the lever released a substance when pressed, they also needed to learn that the substance was only released when the light was on. In this research, the lever and the light acted as the cue to trigger the urge to use. This is similar to people, places, and things (i.e. locations in town, drug paraphernalia, etc.) that men and women learn to associate with substance use. They can also trigger a person to use during recovery, or when a substance is out of reach.
In the study, it took time for the rats to associate the lever and the light with a dose of cocaine. However, researchers did find that female rats who were at the peak of their cycles (known by high levels of certain hormones in their body) learned to associate the presence of the light with the ability to receive cocaine. These female rats learned this faster than their male counterparts, as well as the female rats not at the peak of their cycles. The female rats who learned the association of the light, lever, and release of cocaine were also persistent in pushing the level even after the cycle was completed. Thus, the research indicated that the associates formed during the cycle could be stronger than the associations learned outside of it. The female hormones might sensitize the brain; therebby, cause cue-induced cravings even after the hormone levels have decreased.
How Research Like This Can Be Applied to Humans
The idea that women could be more vulnerable to addictive behaviours is not new. Furthermore, the research above is not considered to be a type of rodent phenomenon. Epidemiological studies have suggested that women are generally more vulnerable to an addiction than men. Other studies have also shown that women transition more quickly to an addiction after their first time using a drug, and that more women find it difficult to remain abstinent because of cue-induced cravings (i.e. people, places, and things that remind her of using).
Columbia University researchers found that a woman’s heart rate and ratings of a hit of cocaine being satisfying increased while her progesterone levels spoked after ovulation (known as the luteal phase – leading up to a woman’s period), as well as during the follicular phase. In addition to this prominent research, another study showed that estrogen can enhance the reinforcing effects of stimulants; whereas, progesterone can reduce them. Apart from these findings, several more studies have suggested the following:
- Women may feel more anxious when consuming alcohol at various parts of their menstrual cycle
- Some women feel more inclined to consume alcohol during the luteal phase (associated with PMS symptoms)
At this time, it is not fully understood how female hormones responsible for fertility fully affect addiction and the associated behaviours. Theories do suggest the hormones can influence the production of brain chemicals that govern mood and reward. For example, oestrogen may release higher amounts of dopamine. Progesterone may reduce cravings for drugs by blocking the effects of oestrogen. It may also induce calmer mood states that improve thinking and self control.
The Silver Lining
Now is the time to make it clear that regardless of what the studies suggest, women are not at a loss when it comes to being able to recover from addiction because of their natural hormonal cycles. Being aware of this research and the knowledge obtained from it, can empower women to pay more attention to their cravings throughout their cycle. What they find, through diligent tracking, may help a woman to prepare ahead of time. For example, when they know they are vulnerable to cravings, they might arm themselves with more support (or for some distractions).
Women might also have the advantage in that because there are environmental cues during various phases of their cycle, they can learn new behaviours and associations that can help them to practice coping skills and healthy behaviours. For example, during the point in which a woman’s estradiol levels are high, she may notice an improvement in cognitive performance. At this time, learning new skills may be ideal.
What To Take Away
Both men and women can develop an addiction; however, the research noted in this article might indicate that the experience and trajectory of recovery can be vastly different. Likewise, this research may contain useful information for women who are postmenopausal, as well as transgender women who are taking synthethic female hormones.
Sources:
- https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5693000869492ec8d747fd8e/t/5c643b3ce5e5f03aab276a94/1550072644555/s41386-019-0320-0.pdf
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43227854_Women_and_Addiction_The_Importance_of_Gender_Issues_in_Substance_Abuse_Research
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17904621
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11823892
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4439205/
