Cohort study, 2024
Do women with PCOS get worse mood symptoms before their period?
It is not clear yet. There are early hints that women with PCOS may have premenstrual mood flare-ups, but the research so far is too preliminary and inconsistent to say for sure.
What they did
This is a review article, not a new study. The authors gathered and summarized existing research on mood symptoms across the menstrual cycle in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), looking at possible causes and at treatments that have been tried.
What they found
The review points to hormone-related brain changes, sensitivity to hormone shifts, higher rates of childhood adversity, and other factors as possible reasons for the high rates of psychiatric disorders seen in PCOS. Ovulation problems, which are common in PCOS, were linked to worse identity and quality of life. Results on treatments, both drug and non-drug, for mood symptoms were mixed. The review states evidence for premenstrual mood flare-ups specifically in PCOS is still preliminary.
What it means for you
For women with PCOS struggling with mood changes before their period, this tells us the link is plausible and being studied, but larger, better-designed studies that track mood across the whole cycle over time are still needed before firm conclusions can be drawn. As a review of existing mixed-quality studies, it cannot provide new numbers or proof.
About the study
- Original title
- Mental Health Across the Menstrual Cycle in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Insights and Implications
- Authors
- Phimphasone-Brady P, Ross KV, Zhang AZ et al.
- Journal
- Current psychiatry reports
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Cohort study
- What was tested
- None (summary review of existing research, including some treatment studies)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s11920-024-01529-w
Topics
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