Administration of Exogenous Hormones and the Implications for Cigarette Smoking-Related Behaviors

Purpose of Review: Preclinical evidence indicates progesterone and estrogen influence drug-taking behaviors, including nicotine/tobacco. However, clinical research on this relationship is less clear. This lack of clarity may be due to measuring naturally occurring endogenous hormones to examine this relationship, which introduces substantial error. Therefore, the goal of this review is to examine the link between the delivery of exogenous hormones and cigarette smoking-related behavior. Recent Findings: Exogenous progesterone may have favorable effects on cognition, symptomatology, consumption, and smoking cessation. Hormonal replacement therapy does not have a clear relationship with smoking-related behaviors. Oral contraceptive use may have adverse effects on stress response, nicotine metabolism, and symptomatology. Summary: Additional research is needed to explore how the administration of exogenous hormones may (a) strengthen research methodology on this topic, (b) enhance our understanding of the role of progesterone/estrogen on smoking-related behaviors, and (c) improve smoking cessation outcomes.