Alcohol produced two distinct effects related to menstrual cycle phase. First, alcohol administration actually enhanced some of the dysphoric mood effects observed at baseline during the luteal phase. Conversely, alcohol also produced greater positive subjective effects (i.e., Drug Liking and Good Drug Effect) in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase. The modest increases in dysphoric mood and the positive subjective response to alcohol observed during the luteal phase lend support to previous clinical studies and surveys suggesting that women drink more alcohol in the late luteal phase to alleviate dysphoric symptoms, particularly women with moderate to severe premenstrual symptoms (e.g., Harvey and Beckman, 1985; McLeod et al., 1994; Podolsky, 1963). In fact, one controlled laboratory study showed that among women with premenstrual symptoms, alcohol consumption increased during the late luteal phase corresponding to self-reported increases in negative mood and discomfort (Mello et al., 1990). Although women with PMDD, or even moderate to severe premenstrual symptoms, were excluded in the present study, these findings suggest that clinically insignificant mood fluctuations among normal women may lead to increased positive effects from alcohol that could lead to increased drinking.
