--- title: Does emotion-focused therapy help PMDD symptoms? | Niyora description: Yes. Emotion-focused therapy significantly reduced PMDD symptoms, emotion regulation difficulties, and depression and stress over 16 weeks compared to a waiti url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/emotion-focused-therapy-for-women-with-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-a-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does emotion-focused therapy help PMDD symptoms? Randomised trial, 2024 # Does emotion-focused therapy help PMDD symptoms? Yes. Emotion-focused therapy significantly reduced PMDD symptoms, emotion regulation difficulties, and depression and stress over 16 weeks compared to a waiting list control. Moderate study design 48 women aged 18-44 with PMDD (44 completed) ## What they did A randomized controlled trial in 48 women aged 18-44 with PMDD. The treatment group received 16 weeks of emotion-focused therapy while the control group was placed on a waiting list. Symptoms were measured before treatment, right after treatment, and again three months later. ## What they found The emotion-focused therapy group showed significant decreases in total PMDD symptoms, emotion regulation difficulties, and depression, anxiety, and stress scores (all p<0.05) compared to the waiting list control. ## What it means for you Emotion-focused therapy may be an effective psychological treatment for PMDD. The main limits are the relatively small sample size (48 women, 44 completed) and use of a waiting list rather than an active placebo control. 48 women enrolled 44 completed study 16 weeks of therapy ## About the study Original title Emotion-focused therapy for women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a randomized clinical controlled trial Authors Dehnavi SI, Mortazavi SS, Ramezani MA et al. Journal BMC psychiatry Year 2024 Study design Randomised trial Participants 48 What was tested 16 weeks of emotion-focused therapy vs waiting list control Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05681-8](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05681-8) Original abstract Background: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a debilitating condition, affecting women of reproductive age. It is characterized by severe periodic physical and psychological symptoms, which end after the onset of menstruation. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) for PMDD patients. Methods: A total of 48 PMDD women, in the age range of 18-44 years, were randomly assigned to two intervention and control groups. The intervention group participated in 16 weeks of EFT treatment, while the control group was selected based on the waiting list (waitlist control group) and followed-up after three months. Forty-four patients finally completed this study. The participants completed the Premenstrual Syndrome Screening Tool (PSST), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) in the first premenstrual period before treatment, the first premenstrual period after treatment, and the premenstrual period three months after treatment. Results: Based on the repeated measure analysis of variances, the total score of DERS and the total score of PSST decreased significantly (P 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the present results, EFT can be an effective treatment for alleviating the symptoms of PMDD. This treatment can reduce the emotion regulation difficulties of women with PMDD and alleviate the symptoms of depression and stress. Trial registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials, IRCT ID: IRCT20220920055998N1, Registered on: 12/2/2023. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## 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/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Mood swings and emotion regulation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-emotional-regulation/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/) 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 Review, 2003 How do menstrual cycle hormones affect the brain and cause mood disorders like PMDD? Survey study, 2025 Is the PSST a good screening tool for PMS in Bangladesh? Case-control study, 2024 Do women with PMDD have a weaker stress response? Case-control study, 2023 Do emotion regulation strategies help women with PMDD manage mood and stress hormones? Survey study, 2022 How common are PMS and PMDD? Are stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems related to them? Randomised trial, 2022 Do hormone pills prevent suicidal thoughts from getting worse around menstruation? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗