--- title: Does pregnancy or menstruation affect OCD symptoms? | Niyora description: Yes. About 1 in 3 women with OCD saw symptoms start during pregnancy or after birth. Women whose OCD began during this time are more likely to have worsening url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/onset-and-exacerbation-of-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-in-pregnancy-and-the-2010/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does pregnancy or menstruation affect OCD symptoms? Study, 2010 # Does pregnancy or menstruation affect OCD symptoms? Yes. About 1 in 3 women with OCD saw symptoms start during pregnancy or after birth. Women whose OCD began during this time are more likely to have worsening with their period. Moderate study design 126 women aged 18 to 69 with OCD, attending a university clinic ## What they did Interviewed 126 women aged 18 to 69 with OCD from a university clinic about when OCD started and how pregnancy and periods affected their symptoms. ## What they found Of 78 women who had been pregnant, 32.1% (24 women) first developed OCD in the perinatal period. Of these, 15.4% developed OCD during pregnancy, 14.1% after childbirth, and 1.3% after miscarriage. Of 132 pregnancies total, 34.1% involved worsening of OCD symptoms, 22.0% involved improvement, and 43.9% showed no change. Women whose OCD started in the perinatal period were more likely to have worsening with their period compared to other women (66% versus 39%). ## What it means for you Pregnancy and the postpartum period seem important times for OCD to start or worsen. Having premenstrual worsening of OCD may mean a woman's OCD began around pregnancy time. This study asked women to remember past events, which can be less reliable than watching people forward over time. 32.1% of women with prior pregnancy whose OCD started during pregnancy or after birth 34.1% of pregnancies where OCD symptoms got worse 66% vs 39% premenstrual worsening in perinatal-onset versus other OCD groups ## About the study Original title Onset and exacerbation of obsessive-compulsive disorder in pregnancy and the postpartum period Authors Forray A, Focseneanu M, Pittman B et al. Journal The Journal of clinical psychiatry Year 2010 Study design Study Participants 24 What was tested None - observational study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.4088/jcp.09m05381blu](https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.09m05381blu) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)[Anxiety disorders and OCD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-anxiety-disorders/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) 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 Survey study, 2005 Does the menstrual cycle affect obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms? Review, 2002 What are the reproductive-related mood disorders and how are they connected? Survey study, 2026 Do difficult childhood experiences lead to worse PMS symptoms as an adult? Cohort study, 2014 Do lifestyle and nutrition affect menstrual symptoms? Survey study, 2006 Does the menstrual cycle affect how severe OCD symptoms are? Systematic review, 2024 How common is premenstrual syndrome in Africa, and what factors increase the risk? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗