The relationship of nocturnal melatonin to estradiol and progesterone in depressed and healthy pregnant women.

Purpose: To assess the relationship between nocturnal plasma melatonin and serum estradiol (E(2)) and progesterone (P(4)) levels in depressed pregnant women (DW) and matched healthy women (HW).

Methods: We used analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear regression analyses on data obtained from pregnant HW and DW.

Results: Log E(2) and log P(4) were positively correlated with measures of melatonin quantity in HW (p<0.05) but not DW, controlling for age. Log E(2) and log P(4) were positively correlated with melatonin offset and duration in DW (p<0.01) but not HW.

Conclusions: Pregnant DW may be less sensitive than HW to modulation of melatonin secretion by E(2) and P(4). That melatonin timing measures are more sensitive to E(2) and P(4) variation in DW may reflect a circadian system more attuned to the need for realignment in DW than in HW. These altered sensitivities to reproductive hormones may reflect a biologic vulnerability that predisposes some pregnant women to depression.