---
title: Does having PMS before pregnancy increase the risk of postpartum depression?
description: Yes. Women with a history of PMS before pregnancy are 2.20 times more likely to develop postpartum depression. However, the quality of evidence is low, which
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/history-of-premenstrual-syndrome-and-development-of-postpartum-depression-a-2020/
---

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- Does having PMS before pregnancy increase the risk of postpartum depression?

Systematic review, 2020

# Does having PMS before pregnancy increase the risk of postpartum depression?

Yes. Women with a history of PMS before pregnancy are 2.20 times more likely to develop postpartum depression. However, the quality of evidence is low, which limits how confident we can be.

 Moderate study design

19 observational studies examining women before and after pregnancy

## What they did

Researchers searched eight medical databases for observational studies that collected information on PMS before pregnancy and measured depression between one week and one year after delivery.

## What they found

19 studies were included. Women with a pre-pregnancy history of PMS had 2.20 times the odds of postpartum depression. However, 11 studies had serious risk of bias and 3 had critical risk of bias.

## What it means for you

There is a real connection between PMS and postpartum depression that doctors should be aware of. The main limitation is that most included studies had serious quality problems, so more rigorous prospective studies are needed.

2.20

times higher odds of postpartum depression

19

studies included

11

studies with serious bias risk

## About the study

Original title History of premenstrual syndrome and development of postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis Authors Cao S, Jones M, Tooth L et al. Journal Journal of psychiatric research Year 2020 Study design Systematic review What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.11.010](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.11.010)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)

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Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

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