--- title: How does PMDD change how women feel about themselves in their relationships? description: This study interviewed 20 women with PMDD to understand how the condition affects their sense of self as partners, mothers, and friends. The abstract does not url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/exploring-experiences-of-women-with-pmdd-navigating-their-relational-selves-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How does PMDD change how women feel about themselves in their relationships? Interview study, 2026 # How does PMDD change how women feel about themselves in their relationships? This study interviewed 20 women with PMDD to understand how the condition affects their sense of self as partners, mothers, and friends. The abstract does not include what the researchers actually found. Early or limited evidence 20 women of reproductive age with PMDD (either formally diagnosed or self-identified), recruited through social media. ## What they did Conducted in-depth interviews lasting about an hour with 20 women who have PMDD, asking them about their health, menstrual cycle, experiences with PMDD, support systems, and decision-making. Participants were recruited through social media. ## What they found Not reported in the abstract provided. ## What it means for you This study explored how PMDD affects women's identities and relationships, an area that has not been well studied before. The results section of the abstract is incomplete. 1.6% Global prevalence of PMDD among reproductive age 20 Participants interviewed ~1 hour Duration per interview ## About the study Original title Exploring Experiences of Women with PMDD Navigating their Relational Selves Authors Alyson Ahir, Catherine Jones, Helena Zavos Year 2026 Study design Interview study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/mnzvr](https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/mnzvr) Original abstract The current study seeks to explore how women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) navigate their relational selves. PMDD is a severe, cyclical condition affecting an estimated 1.6% of individuals of reproductive age globally (Reilly et al., 2024), characterised by debilitating affective, cognitive, and somatic symptoms occurring within the luteal phase. Despite its significant impact on relationships, occupational functioning, and sense of self, the experiential and identity-related aspects of living with PMDD remain underexplored. Within the knowledge base, there is recognition of relational disruption, guilt, shame, hardships within self-image, and compensatory behaviours (Brown et al., 2024; Hardy & Hardie, 2017; Labots-Vogelesang et al., 2023). These precipitating findings have not been directly inquired. What is less clear is how women with PMDD actively negotiate and construct their sense of self within relationships, nor has previous literature directly theorised how disruptions to relationships may be constructed through a relational identity framework. Through drawing on the concept of Andersen and Chen's (2002) relational self theory, which encapsulates that the self is formed by memory-associated representations of close individuals and social networks. Each of these relationships are proposed to hold self-regulatory strategies as well as associated affect. Thus, characterisation of relational identity is important for our increased understanding of PMDD’s cyclical disruption of role-grounded identities (mother, partner, friend). This framework has been previously mentioned within adjacent gynaecological research within endometriosis (Moore et al., 2023), speculating that identity disruption may operate through the condition’s impact on relationships. Transferrable to PMDD, the present study extends this for the first time. The study utilises reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019), alongside a constructionist epistemology and relativist ontology. Using semi-structured interviews lasting an hour with twenty participants who are either formally diagnosed or are self-identifying with PMDD. Participants were recruited through social media advertising. Interviews were conducted online using a topic guide consisting of questions pertaining to health, the menstrual cycle, experiences of PMDD, support systems, and decision-making. The current research aims to contribute novel theoretical applications of relational self theory to PMDD, extend the chronic illness identity literature to the cyclical condition, and recommend interventions, psychoeducation, and clinical communication grounded in the findings. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Endometriosis](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-endometriosis/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/) 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 Systematic review, 2026 What types of talking therapy have been studied for PMS and PMDD? Study, 2026 How does PMDD affect women's work and careers? Non-randomised trial, 2024 Does cognitive-behavioral or mindfulness stress management help reduce PMS in high school girls? Randomised trial, 2023 What does research show about PMDD neurochemistry? Review, 2015 What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated? Systematic review, 2026 Do digital tools and apps help reduce PMS and PMDD symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗