Figure 3.

Potential mechanism of the role of oxidative stress in premenstrual symptom development. In healthy women, progesterone and estrogens act as antioxidants; however, in PMS cases, it is suspected that due to improper, increased prooxidant activity, they may cause oxidative damage to the polyunsaturated fatty acid-rich neuronal membrane. Therefore, they alter the GABAergic system, of which dysfunction possibly leads to the PMS symptom development. Another source of oxidative damage in the neuronal membrane might be catechol estrogens (products of estrogens conversion), which produce oxygen radicals.