--- title: Can a blood test tell PMDD apart from regular PMS? | Niyora description: Possibly, but this is early lab research. Women with PMDD had lower beta-arrestin1 protein and higher testosterone than women with PMS, suggesting these might url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/betaarrestin1-and-testosterone-levels-in-women-with-depression-during-2016/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Can a blood test tell PMDD apart from regular PMS? Survey study, 2016 # Can a blood test tell PMDD apart from regular PMS? Possibly, but this is early lab research. Women with PMDD had lower beta-arrestin1 protein and higher testosterone than women with PMS, suggesting these might one day help with diagnosis, but it has not been tested as an actual diagnostic test. Early or limited evidence 25 non-pregnant women aged 18-42 with PMS or PMDD symptoms, tested in the luteal phase ## What they did Researchers studied 25 women aged 18 to 42 with PMS or PMDD symptoms, not on antidepressants, tested during the luteal (premenstrual) phase. They measured beta-arrestin1 protein in blood immune cells and testosterone in blood plasma, and assessed depression severity with a standard interview and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. ## What they found Women with PMDD (who had depression) had significantly higher testosterone levels and significantly lower beta-arrestin1 protein levels than women with PMS alone. ## What it means for you These biological differences might eventually help doctors distinguish PMDD from PMS, but the study is small (25 women), cross-sectional, and does not test this as a working diagnostic tool. More research is needed before this could be used in clinics. 25 Number of women studied 18-42 years Age range ## About the study Original title Beta‐arrestin1 and testosterone levels in women with depression during premenstrual dysphoric disorder Authors Keisha Smith, Farzana Alam, Twum Ampofo Ansah et al. Journal The FASEB Journal Year 2016 Study design Survey study Participants 25 What was tested No treatment tested; this was a comparison of blood markers between PMS and PMDD groups Read the paper [doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.929.9](https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.929.9) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2024 Does sertraline change brain chemicals in people with PMDD, and does this relate to symptom improvement? Randomised trial, 2017 Does Sepranolone reduce symptoms of severe premenstrual syndrome (PMDD)? Review, 2012 Is depression linked to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause? Survey study, 2002 What treatments work for depression linked to the menstrual cycle and PMDD? Case-control study, 2025 Do certain hormone-related brain chemicals predict how bad premenstrual depression and anxiety will be? Non-randomised trial, 2024 Does luteal phase sertraline treatment affect stress hormones and inflammation in PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗