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.
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
Topics
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?