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Survey study, 2022

Does PMS increase the risk of depression after birth or other pregnancy problems?

Women with PMS took much longer to get pregnant (9.2 months versus 6.1 months), had about 4 times higher rates of depression after birth, and 2 times higher rates of miscarriage. Although these findings are significant, the absolute number of miscarriages was small.

Early or limited evidence 446 women in a Hungarian family planning clinic

What they did

Cross-sectional study of 446 women in a Hungarian family planning clinic between 2015 and 2018. Researchers screened women for PMS using a questionnaire and then compared the time it took them to get pregnant, their rates of depression after birth, and their miscarriage rates.

What they found

About half (51.4%) of the women had PMS. Women with PMS took on average 9.2 months to become pregnant compared to 6.1 months for women without PMS. Women with PMS were about 4 times more likely to develop depression after birth. Women with PMS had 2 times more miscarriages, though the actual number was small.

What it means for you

Women with PMS may be at higher risk for depression after birth and possibly miscarriage. However, the study looked at only one clinic in Hungary, and the number of miscarriages was low, so larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.

51.4%

Had PMS

9.2 months

Time to conceive with PMS

4x

Higher depression risk

About the study

Original title
Premenstrual syndrome as a possible presymtomatic marker for negative outcomes of pregnancy
Authors
Eros E
Journal
European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists
Year
2022
Study design
Survey study
Participants
446
What was tested
None - observational study
Open access
Yes
Original abstract

Introduction: Hungarian Family Planning Service’s mission is decreasing the negative outcomes of pregnancy, including perinatal depression. Objectives: Childbirth as a great irreversible life event is a normative crisis of the life, thus pregnancy and post-partum period are times of high risk for psychiatric symptoms. Stress in pre- and post-natal period has short and long-term effect on offspring. Women participating in family planning program should be evaluated for the high risk and specific preventive program are provided for them. Methods: Between 2015-2018, 446 women were participating in family planning service. They were screened for premenstrual syndrome by using the shortened form of PAF questionnaire. We compared healthy and PMS affected patients’ data in according to the prevalence of PPD, spontaneous abortion and period needed for conception. Results: Prevalence of PMS in our sample was 51.4%. Overage duration between wished and realized conception was 6.1 months in healthy group vs 9.2 months in PMS group. Post-natal depression was screened by Edinburgh Post-natal Scale and it showed about 4-times higher prevalence between affected women by PMS. Surprising the rate of spontaneous abortion was 2-times higher, although the absolute number is rather low for statistical validation. Conclusions: Women affected by PMS can be considered as high risk for perinatal mood disorders and negative outcomes of pregnancy. PMS can be useful as a presymptomatic marker of perinatal depression and may be increased risk for spontaneous abortion. Psychological aspect should be included into the periconceptional care. Family planning may be an optimal solution to prevent perinatal depression and its complication. Disclosure: No significant relationships.

Reproduced under CC-BY.

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