Estrogen Level Association in Women with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Women are twice as likely to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than men which may be due to biological factors (hormonal changes) and psychosocial factors (trauma exposure, gender biases). People who get injured during a traumatic event or have prolonged exposure to trauma are likely to develop PTSD. People struggling with PTSD may experience flashbacks, nightmares, intense anxiety, or have panic attacks long after the moment of trauma has passed. This is because neural pathways in the brain have been damaged and reformed by that experience. However, PTSD is not always observed in women after a traumatic event. Therefore, it is important to study and identify the factors that relate to PTSD resilience and vulnerability to traumatic events. Recent studies have shown a negative correlation between fear extinction and intrusive memory in women with lower ovarian hormone levels. For this study, we recruited several women from the Froedtert hospital emergency department after they were exposed to a traumatic event. A self-report PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) was completed by the participants to assess the presence and severity of PTSD symptoms after 2 weeks and 6 months of exposure to traumatic events. Additionally, blood samples were taken to test for estradiol concentration. PCL-5 screening is considered the gold standard for diagnosing PTSD and has been validated as a means of monitoring symptom change during treatment. This instrument is 20 questions long and generates a total symptom severity score between 0 and 80. The anticipated conclusion of this study is that women with low estradiol concentration will show high PTSD symptoms. This study not only highlights the importance of shifting focus gender biases in laboratory investigations of psychiatric illness vulnerability and symptom severity but also suggests how such a focus may improve treatment outcomes for specific traumatized populations