---
title: Does progesterone stop criminal behavior in women with severe premenstrual syndrome?
description: Yes. Three women with long histories of repeated serious crimes (manslaughter, arson, assault) that happened in a premenstrual pattern had normal behavior aft
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/cyclical-criminal-acts-in-premenstrual-syndrome-1980/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does progesterone stop criminal behavior in women with severe premenstrual syndrome?

Case report, 1980

# Does progesterone stop criminal behavior in women with severe premenstrual syndrome?

Yes. Three women with long histories of repeated serious crimes (manslaughter, arson, assault) that happened in a premenstrual pattern had normal behavior after progesterone treatment.

 Early or limited evidence

3 women with severe premenstrual syndrome and cyclical criminal behavior

## What they did

Case report of 3 women arrested for serious crimes. Police and prison records confirmed their crimes happened in a premenstrual pattern. All three had long histories of repeated crime while in prison as well. They were treated with progesterone.

## What they found

All three women successfully used premenstrual syndrome as a legal defense. When treated with progesterone, their behavior returned to normal.

## What it means for you

Progesterone may help stop violent behavior tied to severe premenstrual syndrome. However this is based on three women, and the study documents behavior change but lacks detailed measurements of how the treatment worked.

3

women treated

## About the study

Original title Cyclical criminal acts in premenstrual syndrome Authors Dalton K Journal Lancet (London, England) Year 1980 Study design Case report Participants 3 What was tested Progesterone treatment Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(80)92286-2](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(80)92286-2)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Estradiol, progesterone and hormone therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormone-therapy/)[Legal and forensic](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-legal-crime/)

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

Survey study, 1989

What does research say about what causes PMS and what treatments work?

Systematic review, 2023

What hormonal treatments have been tested for PMDD, menstrual migraine, and catamenial epilepsy?

Survey study, 2022

What causes PMS and PMDD and what new treatments are being studied?

Systematic review, 2015

What are the effects of continuous hormonal treatments for premenstrual syndrome?

Cohort study, 2014

Does childhood abuse increase the risk of PMS in adulthood?

Review, 2012

How should premenstrual disorders be diagnosed and organized?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗