---
title: Is lower blood serotonin linked to worse mood before menstruation?
description: Yes, women with lower blood serotonin during the premenstrual phase had worse tension, anxiety, and fatigue. However, the study is very small and only looked
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/decreased-blood-serotonin-in-the-premenstrual-phase-enhances-negative-mood-in-2010/
---

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- Is lower blood serotonin linked to worse mood before menstruation?

Survey study, 2010

# Is lower blood serotonin linked to worse mood before menstruation?

Yes, women with lower blood serotonin during the premenstrual phase had worse tension, anxiety, and fatigue. However, the study is very small and only looked at healthy women, so results may not apply to women with PMS or PMDD.

 Early or limited evidence

13 healthy women

## What they did

Researchers measured serotonin levels in the blood of 13 healthy women during the premenstrual phase. They also asked women about their mood using a standard questionnaire. They looked for connections between serotonin levels, mood symptoms, and hormone levels (estrogen and progesterone).

## What they found

Lower blood serotonin was significantly linked with higher tension-anxiety and fatigue scores during the premenstrual phase. Higher serotonin was significantly linked with higher estrogen levels during the premenstrual phase, but not during the follicular phase.

## What it means for you

This suggests one reason why SSRI medications (which increase serotonin) help with PMS symptoms. However, the study is very small, only measured women once, and only included healthy women without PMS, so findings may not apply to women with PMS or PMDD.

13

healthy women studied

2

mood symptoms measured (tension-anxiety and fatigue)

## About the study

Original title Decreased blood serotonin in the premenstrual phase enhances negative mood in healthy women Authors Kikuchi H, Nakatani Y, Seki Y et al. Journal Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology Year 2010 Study design Survey study Participants 13 What was tested None - observation and blood testing Read the paper [doi.org/10.3109/01674821003770606](https://doi.org/10.3109/01674821003770606)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)

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.

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