Disturbed behavioural adaptability as related to reproductive hormones and emotional states during the menstrual cycle

The relationship between the incapacity to adapt behaviour to external requirements and biological irregularities of the menstrual cycle was investigated in 30 healthy females divided according to a questionnaire on behavioural adaptability into good (GAs) and bad (BAs) adaptors. Emotional states and blood samples for determination of hormones were obtained on ten defined days of the menstrual cycle, which were individually synchronized to six phases according to biological indicators. Comparison of GAs and BAs revealed that the incapacity of behavioural adaptation is associated with higher neuroticism related traits and states and that BAs exhibited higher cortisol and testosterone levels, lower luteal and follicular levels of estrogen, and lower luteal levels of progesterone. Furthermore, significantly more BA subjects suffered from corpus luteum deficiency. Results are discussed with respect to chronobiological biobehavioural mechanisms. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.