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.
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
Topics
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