--- title: Does estrogen affect anxiety and mood problems in PMDD, and does a woman's genes play a role? description: In women with PMDD, higher estrogen before the period was linked to lower anxiety and stress, but only in women carrying a specific genetic variant. This show url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/estrogen-levels-emotion-regulation-and-emotional-symptoms-of-women-with-2018/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does estrogen affect anxiety and mood problems in PMDD, and does a woman's genes play a role? Survey study, 2018 # Does estrogen affect anxiety and mood problems in PMDD, and does a woman's genes play a role? In women with PMDD, higher estrogen before the period was linked to lower anxiety and stress, but only in women carrying a specific genetic variant. This shows correlation in this subset and cannot confirm cause and effect. Early or limited evidence 100 women with PMDD and 96 healthy controls ## What they did 100 women diagnosed with PMDD (through psychiatric interview and 3 menstrual cycles of monitoring) and 96 healthy women had their estrogen levels, depression, anxiety, stress, and emotion regulation measured during both premenstrual and follicular phases. Researchers also tested for a genetic variant in the estrogen receptor gene. ## What they found Women with PMDD had higher depression, anxiety, stress, and lower emotion regulation in the premenstrual phase than controls. In women with PMDD, higher premenstrual estrogen was linked with lower anxiety and stress, but only in women carrying the G allele of the ESR1α-Xbal genetic variant. The difference in premenstrual emotion regulation between PMDD and controls also only appeared in G carriers. ## What it means for you Women with PMDD may respond differently to normal estrogen levels depending on their genes. For women with this specific genetic variant, higher estrogen before their period might help reduce anxiety and stress. The main limitation is that this finding applies only to women with this genetic variant, which is a subset of PMDD. 100 women with PMDD 96 healthy control women 3 menstrual cycles monitored for diagnosis ## About the study Original title Estrogen levels, emotion regulation, and emotional symptoms of women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder: The moderating effect of estrogen receptor 1α polymorphism Authors Yen JY, Wang PW, Su CH et al. Journal Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry Year 2018 Study design Survey study Participants 100 What was tested None (observational) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.11.013](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.11.013) ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[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 Randomised trial, 2024 Does emotion-focused therapy help PMDD symptoms? Case-control study, 2023 Do emotion regulation strategies help women with PMDD manage mood and stress hormones? Survey study, 2022 Do stress and rumination increase with PMS severity? Review, 1999 Is premenstrual dysphoric disorder a distinct clinical disorder? Survey study, 2026 Do emotional regulation and resilience change during the menstrual cycle in women with PMDD? Survey study, 2025 Does anxiety and emotion regulation change across the menstrual cycle in women with PMS and PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗