--- title: Does chromium supplementation help with menstrual cycle-related mood symptoms? description: Possibly, but this is very preliminary evidence from a tiny study. Most women noticed improved mood and health satisfaction. Some improved on chromium alone, url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/chromium-supplementation-for-menstrual-cycle-related-mood-symptoms-2013/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does chromium supplementation help with menstrual cycle-related mood symptoms? Randomised trial, 2013 # Does chromium supplementation help with menstrual cycle-related mood symptoms? Possibly, but this is very preliminary evidence from a tiny study. Most women noticed improved mood and health satisfaction. Some improved on chromium alone, others improved more when combined with an antidepressant. Early or limited evidence 5 women in open study and 6 women in double-blind study, some with treatment-resistant symptoms ## What they did 5 women were studied openly knowing they received chromium. 6 other women completed a double-blind crossover study receiving chromium with placebo one month and chromium with sertraline another month. Treatments ran from mid-cycle to menses. Women reported daily symptoms and clinicians used depression and clinical impression scales. ## What they found Chromium treatment was associated with reduced mood symptoms and improved overall health satisfaction in most participants. In some women, chromium alone led to marked clinical improvement. In others, chromium combined with an antidepressant produced greater improvement than either treatment alone. ## What it means for you Chromium may help some women with menstrual cycle-related mood symptoms, possibly as a single treatment or combined with antidepressants. However, this is very early-stage research. Major limits include tiny sample size (only 6 women in the controlled portion), mixed study designs, and no placebo-only control group. 5 Women in open-label study 6 Women in double-blind crossover study ## About the study Original title Chromium supplementation for menstrual cycle-related mood symptoms Authors Brownley KA, Girdler SS, Stout AL et al. Journal Journal of dietary supplements Year 2013 Study design Randomised trial Participants 6 What was tested Chromium supplementation from mid-cycle to menses, tested alone and combined with sertraline Read the paper [doi.org/10.3109/19390211.2013.830678](https://doi.org/10.3109/19390211.2013.830678) ## 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/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/) 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 Review, 2009 What causes PMDD and what are the treatment options? Randomised trial, 2000 Does sertraline improve how women with PMDD feel and function? Study, 2026 What treatments work for PMDD? Survey study, 2026 Are PMS and PMDD the same condition or are they different? Cohort study, 2022 What are PMS and PMDD and how should they be diagnosed and treated? Randomised trial, 2017 Does Sepranolone reduce symptoms of severe premenstrual syndrome (PMDD)? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗