--- title: Does having PMS before pregnancy increase the risk of postpartum depression? description: Yes. Women with a PMS history were 45 percent more likely to develop postpartum depression within one year after birth, with 5.4 percent of women with PMS dev url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effect-of-premenstrual-syndrome-on-the-risk-of-postpartum-depression-within-one-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does having PMS before pregnancy increase the risk of postpartum depression? Cohort study, 2026 # Does having PMS before pregnancy increase the risk of postpartum depression? Yes. Women with a PMS history were 45 percent more likely to develop postpartum depression within one year after birth, with 5.4 percent of women with PMS developing it compared to 3.8 percent without PMS. Strong study design 4376 first-time mothers with PMS diagnosed before pregnancy, matched with 4376 without PMS ## What they did A retrospective cohort study using medical records from a large global network. Researchers identified 4376 women diagnosed with PMS before pregnancy and followed them for one year after giving birth. They compared them with 4376 matched women without a PMS history, balancing age, race, ethnicity, and other health conditions. ## What they found Among women with PMS, 236 out of 4376 (5.4 percent) developed postpartum depression within one year, at an incidence rate of 9.2 per 1000 person-days. Among women without PMS, 167 out of 4376 (3.8 percent) developed postpartum depression, at an incidence rate of 6.3 per 1000 person-days. Women with PMS had significantly higher risk (hazard ratio 1.454, 95 percent CI 1.274 to 1.836, p less than 0.001). ## What it means for you Women with a history of PMS may benefit from closer mental health monitoring during the year after birth. The study suggests PMS could serve as an early warning sign for postpartum depression risk. The main limitation is this is observational data, so causation cannot be proven. Prospective studies and research into how PMS and postpartum depression are biologically connected are needed. 5.4% Women with PMS who developed postpartum depression 3.8% Women without PMS who developed postpartum depression 1.454 Increased risk (hazard ratio) ## About the study Original title Effect of premenstrual syndrome on the risk of postpartum depression within one year after childbirth among primiparous women: Evidence from TriNetX Authors Gidafie AK, Amelia VL, Hsu JC et al. Journal Journal of affective disorders Year 2026 Study design Cohort study Participants 4,376 What was tested History of PMS before pregnancy Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2026.121683](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2026.121683) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/) 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 Systematic review, 2026 Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle? Cohort study, 2026 Do premenstrual disorder and postpartum depression share the same genetic causes? Cohort study, 2025 Is there a link between premenstrual disorders and autoimmune disease? Cohort study, 2025 Do women with a history of PMS or PMDD have more depression during pregnancy and after birth? Case-control study, 2024 Do steroid hormone levels change differently across the menstrual cycle in women with PMDD? Case-control study, 2024 Are premenstrual disorders and postpartum depression connected? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗