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.
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
Topics
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