---
title: Does taking sertraline only during the luteal phase help premenstrual dysphoric disorder?
description: Yes. Women taking sertraline during the second half of their cycle showed significant improvement compared to placebo, with few side effects.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/efficacy-of-intermittent-luteal-phase-sertraline-treatment-of-premenstrual-2002/
---

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- Does taking sertraline only during the luteal phase help premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Randomised trial, 2002

# Does taking sertraline only during the luteal phase help premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Yes. Women taking sertraline during the second half of their cycle showed significant improvement compared to placebo, with few side effects.

 Strong study design

281 women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder

## What they did

Randomized controlled trial. 281 women with PMDD first tracked their symptoms for two months, then took placebo for one cycle. They were then randomly assigned to receive either placebo or sertraline (50-100 mg daily) taken only during the luteal phase for three cycles.

## What they found

Sertraline was significantly better than placebo. By the first cycle, 50% of women on sertraline showed improvement compared to 26% on placebo. Quality of life and functioning improved. About 8% of women on sertraline stopped due to side effects, compared to less than 1% on placebo.

## What it means for you

Sertraline taken only during the luteal phase is an effective treatment for PMDD. Because you do not take the medication every day, there may be fewer side effects and lower costs than continuous treatment. The medication was well tolerated overall.

281

Participants with PMDD

50%

Sertraline responder rate by cycle 1

26%

Placebo responder rate

## About the study

Original title Efficacy of intermittent, luteal phase sertraline treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder Authors Halbreich U, Bergeron R, Yonkers KA et al. Journal Obstetrics and gynecology Year 2002 Study design Randomised trial What was tested Sertraline 50-100 mg daily during the luteal phase only, versus placebo Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/s0029-7844(02)02326-8](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0029-7844(02)02326-8)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)

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