Case-control study, 2016
Do women with major depression or bipolar disorder experience more premenstrual symptoms than healthy women?
Women with major depression in remission had more PMS than healthy women, with higher scores for depressive mood, anger, and other symptoms. Women with bipolar disorder in remission had similar PMS rates to healthy women.
What they did
Compared three groups of 23 women: those with bipolar disorder (in stable mood), those with major depression (in remission), and healthy controls. All completed a questionnaire about premenstrual symptoms.
What they found
PMS was more common in the major depression group than in the control group. Women with depression had higher scores than controls for depressive mood, loss of pleasure, anger, impulsivity, and physical symptoms. The bipolar group had similar PMS rates to the control group.
What it means for you
Women with depression, even when their depression is in remission or being treated, may still experience premenstrual symptoms more than other women. The link may be specific to depression rather than other mood disorders. The main limitation is the small sample size.
23
Women in each group
3
Groups compared
About the study
- Original title
- Does menstrual cycle affect bipolar disorder patients or unipolar depression patients more?
- Authors
- Mehmet Yilmaz, Ayşe Devrim Başterzi, Elcin Ozsin et al.
- Journal
- Journal of Mood Disorders
- Year
- 2016
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 23
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5455/jmood.20161226104246
Topics
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