--- title: Are depressive symptoms linked to menstrual distress? | Niyora description: Yes, strongly. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with menstrual distress in both the premenstrual and menstrual phases, even after accounting url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/depressive-symptoms-and-menstrual-distress-according-to-the-menstrual-phase-in-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Are depressive symptoms linked to menstrual distress? Survey study, 2022 # Are depressive symptoms linked to menstrual distress? Yes, strongly. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with menstrual distress in both the premenstrual and menstrual phases, even after accounting for shift work, sleep, and other factors. Moderate study design 6878 nurses in South Korea ## What they did A cross-sectional study of 6878 nurses in South Korea using data from December 2018 to September 2019. Researchers collected information on depression, menstrual distress, shift work, sleep quality, and other health factors. ## What they found Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with menstrual distress in the premenstrual phase (correlation value 1.60, 95% confidence interval 1.49-1.71) and menstrual phase (1.65, 95% CI 1.54-1.76), after adjusting for demographics, health factors, shift work, and sleep quality. ## What it means for you Depression and menstrual distress are closely linked. Clinical care for menstrual distress should include screening for depression and be tailored to each phase of the cycle. However, this study cannot show whether depression causes menstrual distress, menstrual distress causes depression, or both are caused by another factor. 6878 nurses studied 1.60 premenstrual phase correlation 1.65 menstrual phase correlation ## About the study Original title Depressive symptoms and menstrual distress according to the menstrual phase in nurses: the Korea Nurses' Health Study Authors Kim O, Kim S, Jeon HO et al. Journal Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology Year 2022 Study design Survey study Participants 6,878 What was tested None; this was an observational study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/0167482x.2022.2095999](https://doi.org/10.1080/0167482x.2022.2095999) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/) 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, 2022 What factors are associated with irregular menstrual cycles and how do irregular cycles affect other symptoms? Study, 2022 Which premenstrual symptoms change with the menstrual cycle in midlife women? Randomised trial, 2001 Do changing reproductive hormones disrupt the body's internal clock and cause mood disorders? Systematic review, 2026 Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle? Review, 2024 What do brain wave patterns show about PMS and PMDD? Review, 2015 What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗