--- title: How common are suicidal thoughts in women with PMDD, and what factors are associated with them? description: About 4 in 10 women with confirmed PMDD reported current suicidal thoughts in the luteal phase. Those with previous psychological treatment and higher depress url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/prevalence-and-correlates-of-current-suicidal-ideation-in-women-with-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How common are suicidal thoughts in women with PMDD, and what factors are associated with them? Randomised trial, 2022 # How common are suicidal thoughts in women with PMDD, and what factors are associated with them? About 4 in 10 women with confirmed PMDD reported current suicidal thoughts in the luteal phase. Those with previous psychological treatment and higher depression were more likely to have suicidal thoughts, while better perceived health was protective. We can be confident in this prevalence estimate. Moderate study design 110 women with prospectively confirmed PMDD enrolled in two randomized clinical trials ## What they did 110 women enrolled in two randomized placebo-controlled trials (2017-2019). PMDD was confirmed prospectively via daily symptom tracking per DSM-5 criteria. In the late luteal phase, researchers measured current suicidal thoughts and collected data on psychological treatment history, depression severity, and self-rated health. ## What they found 43 women (39.1%) reported current suicidal thoughts in the late luteal phase. Women with a history of psychological treatment for PMDD were 5.63 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts (95% CI 1.07-29.49). For each one-point increase in depression severity, odds of suicidal thoughts increased by 17% (95% CI 1.10-1.25). Higher self-rated health was associated with lower odds. ## What it means for you Suicidal thoughts are very common in PMDD and clinicians must screen routinely. The previous treatment association likely means more severe disease sought help, not that treatment caused thoughts. This study used proper prospective PMDD diagnosis (strength), but cross-sectional design cannot prove cause and effect. Findings from two trials may not represent all women with PMDD. 110 women with confirmed PMDD 39.1% reported current suicidal ideation 5.63 times higher risk with prior treatment ## About the study Original title Prevalence and correlates of current suicidal ideation in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder Authors Wikman A, Sacher J, Bixo M et al. Journal BMC women's health Year 2022 Study design Randomised trial Participants 43 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1186/s12905-022-01612-5](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-022-01612-5) Original abstract Background: Although previous studies report an association between Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and suicidal ideation, most studies have only established a provisional and retrospective diagnosis of PMDD fundamentally invalidating the diagnosis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and to explore correlates of current suicidal ideation in the late luteal phase in women with prospectively assessed and confirmed PMDD. Methods: Participants were 110 women who attended the pre-randomization baseline visit of two randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials between January 15, 2017 and October 19, 2019. PMDD was diagnosed prospectively in line with DSM-5 criteria. Current suicidal ideation was measured by the MADRS-S in the late luteal phase. Descriptive statistics were presented and logistic regression analyses were carried out to explore the association between psychosocial and health characteristics and current suicidal ideation, presenting unadjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Current suicidal ideation was reported by nearly 40% of women with confirmed PMDD (n = 43, 39.1%). Previous psychological treatment for PMDD and higher depressive symptoms in the late luteal phase were positively associated with current suicidal ideation (OR 5.63, 95% CI 1.07-29.49, and OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.10-1.25, respectively), whereas higher ratings of self-rated health were associated with lower odds ratios for current suicidal ideation (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96-0.99). Conclusions: A substantial proportion of women with confirmed PMDD report current suicidal ideation in the late luteal phase. Results point to a need for better awareness and screening of suicidal ideation in women with PMDD. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Suicidality](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-suicidality/) 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, 2026 Does suicidal thinking and self-harm follow the menstrual cycle in PMDD? Cohort study, 2023 Does the menstrual cycle affect how often women have suicidal thoughts? Survey study, 2024 Is suicidal thinking more common in women with premenstrual disorders? Study, 2024 Can PMDD be severe enough to lead to self-harm, and does treatment help? Case report, 2018 Can severe head injury lead to PMDD? Survey study, 2006 Does the menstrual cycle affect mood disorders? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗