Increases in endogenous progesterone attenuate smoking in a cohort of nontreatment seeking women: An exploratory prospective study

Abstract

Despite advances in prevention and treatment, cigarette smoking remains a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Although men and women are equally likely to attempt to quit smoking cigarettes, women are far less likely to achieve abstinence both during and following cessation treatment. Recent evidence suggests that ovarian hormone levels may play a role in successful abstinence attempts in women smokers. The primary goal of this exploratory prospective observational study was to estimate the association between within‐participant levels of progesterone and estradiol with associated cigarettes smoked per day in adult women smokers (n = 104). The primary study outcome was self‐reported cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) during a 2‐week observational period collected using a daily smoking diary. Additionally, participants collected saliva daily, from which hormone levels (progesterone and estradiol) were derived. Higher within‐participant progesterone levels were associated with a significant decrease in CPD (p = .008) whereas within‐participant estradiol levels were unrelated to CPD (p = .25). Regression models indicated a single change in the trajectory of smoking behavior for both within‐participant progesterone and estradiol. When progesterone values were below the change point, there was a significant inverse relationship between within‐participant progesterone levels and smoking behavior (p = .025) whereas the relationship was attenuated for higher within‐participant progesterone levels (p = .59). The effect of estradiol on smoking behavior was not significant when it was either below (p = .92) or above (p = .16) the change point. Higher within‐participant levels of progesterone but not estradiol are associated with reduced CPD in nontreatment seeking women smokers.

Daily ovarian hormone exposure and loss of control eating in adolescent girls: A registered report

“…Participants that do not return saliva samples or with unusable samples will be replaced and the final sample of 45 will be based on those with complete and analyzed saliva samples. Daily home collection and storage procedures have been used in previous studies with excellent participant adherence and sample quality (Baker et al, 2021; Edler et al, 2007; Klump et al, 2008). Within‐person estrogen and progesterone will be calculated by subtracting the person mean from the daily value, then dividing the result by the person's standard deviation (person‐standardized daily hormone level) (Eisenlohr‐Moul et al, 2018; Klump et al, 2013; Martel et al, 2017).…”

Impact of the natural hormonal milieu on ventral striatal responses to appetitive cigarette smoking cues: A prospective longitudinal study

“…Clinical research examining the influence of hormones on addiction processes is generally supportive of the animal literature ( Becker et al., 2017 ; Fattore et al., 2008 ; Wetherill et al., 2016 ). Research has shown that exogenously administered P decreases the positive subjective effects of combustible cigarette smoking and associated craving ( Sofuoglu et al., 2001 ), reduces smoking intensity as measured by puff volume ( Harrison et al., 2020 ), and higher within-person P levels predict reductions in the number of cigarettes smoked per day ( Baker et al., 2020 ). These studies and others ( DeVito et al., 2014 ; Mello, 2010 ; Schiller et al., 2012 ) suggest that P, of which levels are greatest relative to E during the mid-luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, may offer some protection over drug-seeking behavior and drug use.…”