---
title: Is there a link between postnatal depression and premenstrual symptoms?
description: No. Only one woman showed both conditions, and there was no association between postnatal distress and psychological symptoms in this study.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/is-there-evidence-of-an-association-between-postnatal-distress-and-premenstrual-2007/
---

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- Is there a link between postnatal depression and premenstrual symptoms?

Survey study, 2007

# Is there a link between postnatal depression and premenstrual symptoms?

No. Only one woman showed both conditions, and there was no association between postnatal distress and psychological symptoms in this study.

 Early or limited evidence

63 women from a community sample

## What they did

Cross-sectional study. 63 women completed a daily menstrual symptom diary for two consecutive months. Their postnatal depression scores from 1-3 years earlier were obtained from their health visitor.

## What they found

Only 1 of 63 participants showed both postnatal and premenstrual distress when using the EPDS cutoff of >12. When treated as continuous scores, there was no association between postnatal distress and psychological premenstrual symptoms and only a trend toward significance with physical premenstrual symptoms.

## What it means for you

The common belief that postnatal depression causes PMS may not be true. The main limitation is the small sample and unclear response rate from the recruitment method.

63

women in study

1

with both postnatal and premenstrual distress

2

consecutive months of daily diary

## About the study

Original title Is there evidence of an association between postnatal distress and premenstrual symptoms? Authors Haywood A, Slade P, King H Journal Journal of affective disorders Year 2007 Study design Survey study Participants 63 What was tested None - observational study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2006.08.024](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2006.08.024)

## 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/)

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

Cohort study, 2026

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

Systematic review, 2026

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Cohort study, 2026

Do premenstrual disorder and postpartum depression share the same genetic causes?

Cohort study, 2025

Is there a link between premenstrual disorders and autoimmune disease?

Cohort study, 2025

Do women with a history of PMS or PMDD have more depression during pregnancy and after birth?

Case-control study, 2024

Do steroid hormone levels change differently across the menstrual cycle in women with PMDD?

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