---
title: How are depression, chronic fatigue, and PMS related and treated?
description: Depression, chronic fatigue, and PMS often happen together in women seeking treatment. Doctors can diagnose these conditions by tracking symptoms for two mens
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/depression-chronic-fatigue-and-the-premenstrual-syndrome-1991/
---

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- How are depression, chronic fatigue, and PMS related and treated?

Case report, 1991

# How are depression, chronic fatigue, and PMS related and treated?

Depression, chronic fatigue, and PMS often happen together in women seeking treatment. Doctors can diagnose these conditions by tracking symptoms for two menstrual cycles and doing exams and tests. Treatment with diet, hormones, or antidepressants can help many women.

 Early or limited evidence

Women seeking treatment for premenstrual distress

## What they did

This describes how to diagnose and treat women who have depression, chronic fatigue, and PMS at the same time. The diagnosis involves tracking symptoms for two menstrual cycles, taking a detailed history, doing physical and gynecologic exams, and getting basic lab results and a psychological evaluation.

## What they found

Depression, chronic fatigue, and premenstrual syndrome often coexist in women seeking treatment for premenstrual distress. Appropriate treatment with diet, hormones, or antidepressants provided in a caring manner can benefit many women with this combination of conditions.

## What it means for you

If you have severe premenstrual symptoms, you should get a full evaluation to check whether depression or chronic fatigue are also involved, because treating all three together can help. This is guidance from doctors' experience rather than a controlled study, so we don't have numbers showing how many women improve with each treatment.

2

Menstrual cycles tracked for diagnosis

## About the study

Original title Depression, chronic fatigue, and the premenstrual syndrome Authors Gonsalves L, Domb J, Gidwani G Journal Primary care Year 1991 Study design Case report What was tested Diet, hormones, or antidepressants Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1876620/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1876620/)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Fatigue and energy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-fatigue/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)

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Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition?

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Interview study, 2017

What causes PMDD and what are effective treatments?

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