--- title: Does borderline personality disorder get worse at certain times in the menstrual cycle? description: Yes. Most emotional symptoms in women with borderline personality disorder worsen in the midluteal phase and around menstruation. The majority showed at least url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/perimenstrual-exacerbation-of-symptoms-in-borderline-personality-disorder-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does borderline personality disorder get worse at certain times in the menstrual cycle? Cohort study, 2024 # Does borderline personality disorder get worse at certain times in the menstrual cycle? Yes. Most emotional symptoms in women with borderline personality disorder worsen in the midluteal phase and around menstruation. The majority showed at least 30% worsening of symptoms. Early or limited evidence 15 unmedicated women with borderline personality disorder without dysmenorrhea ## What they did 15 unmedicated women with borderline personality disorder reported daily emotional and behavioral symptoms for 35 days. Used urine tests and saliva samples to confirm ovulation and identify their menstrual cycle phase. ## What they found Most symptoms worsened in the midluteal phase, peaked around menstruation, then improved during the follicular and ovulatory phases. Symptoms showed negative correlation with progesterone levels. Depressive symptoms followed a different pattern with high baseline levels in ovulatory and midluteal phases, plus additional worsening premenstrually and in the follicular phase. The majority met criteria for clinically significant (at least 30%) symptom exacerbation. All 15 met the emotional instability criterion of borderline personality disorder. No participant met criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. ## What it means for you Women with borderline personality disorder may experience significant worsening of emotional symptoms around menstruation as a separate condition from PMDD. The main limitation is the very small sample of only 15 women, all unmedicated with no dysmenorrhea. Larger studies are needed. 15 women with borderline personality disorder 35 days of daily symptom tracking 30% threshold for clinically significant worsening ## About the study Original title Perimenstrual exacerbation of symptoms in borderline personality disorder: evidence from multilevel models and the Carolina Premenstrual Assessment Scoring System Authors Susan S. Girdler, Sarah Owens, Danyelle N. Dawson et al. Journal Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) Year 2024 Study design Cohort study What was tested None, observational symptom tracking Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.17615/dx25-7996](https://doi.org/10.17615/dx25-7996) ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Borderline personality disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-bpd/) 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, 2018 Do emotional and behavioral symptoms of borderline personality disorder get worse before menstruation? Cohort study, 2023 Does the menstrual cycle affect how often women have suicidal thoughts? Survey study, 2024 Does stress affect the menstrual cycle in college students? Review, 2024 What do brain wave patterns show about PMS and PMDD? Systematic review, 2023 How common are menstrual cycle problems and PMS or PMDD in female athletes? Study, 2026 Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗