---
title: Do mental health disorders get worse during the menstrual cycle?
description: Yes, several mental health disorders like depression, panic attacks, eating disorders and borderline personality disorder clearly worsen around menstruation.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-exacerbation-of-mental-health-disorders-a-systematic-review-of-2022/
---

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- Do mental health disorders get worse during the menstrual cycle?

Systematic review, 2022

# Do mental health disorders get worse during the menstrual cycle?

Yes, several mental health disorders like depression, panic attacks, eating disorders and borderline personality disorder clearly worsen around menstruation. The evidence is less clear for anxiety or bipolar disorder.

 Strong study design

Women with mental health disorders across 35 prospective studies

## What they did

They searched four databases and reviewed 35 studies that tracked mental health symptoms across the menstrual cycle in prospective studies. The studies were too different in design to combine the results.

## What they found

Clear evidence of symptom exacerbation during the perimenstrual phase for psychotic disorders, panic disorder, eating disorders, depression and borderline personality disorder. Less consistent evidence was found for anxiety, and a different pattern of symptom exacerbation was observed in bipolar disorder.

## What it means for you

Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle may make psychiatric symptoms worse in women who are sensitive to hormone fluctuations. The main limitation is that the 35 studies varied considerably in their methods.

35

studies met inclusion criteria

629

studies identified in database search

5

mental health conditions with clear evidence of worsening

## About the study

Original title Premenstrual exacerbation of mental health disorders: a systematic review of prospective studies Authors Nolan LN, Hughes L Journal Archives of women's mental health Year 2022 Study design Systematic review Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s00737-022-01246-4](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-022-01246-4)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Reproductive hormone sensitivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-hormone-sensitivity/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Bipolar disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-bipolar/)[Borderline personality disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-bpd/)[Anxiety disorders and OCD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-anxiety-disorders/)[Eating disorders](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-eating-disorders/)[Schizophrenia and psychosis](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-psychosis/)

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

Study, 2026

Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition?

Review, 2024

What is premenstrual exacerbation and how does it affect different psychiatric illnesses?

Review, 2025

How does the menstrual cycle affect psychiatric symptoms like depression and anxiety?

Review, 1998

What does research say about diagnosing and treating PMS and PMDD?

Study, 2026

What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Survey study, 2026

What is the true rate of PMDD, and does it worsen mental health conditions?

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