---
title: Are women with PMS mood changes more likely to have depression?
description: Yes, strongly. Women with a depression history are much more likely to have severe PMS mood symptoms, and most women with severe PMS mood symptoms have also h
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/relationship-of-dysphoric-premenstrual-changes-to-depressive-disorders-1985/
---

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- Are women with PMS mood changes more likely to have depression?

Survey study, 1985

# Are women with PMS mood changes more likely to have depression?

Yes, strongly. Women with a depression history are much more likely to have severe PMS mood symptoms, and most women with severe PMS mood symptoms have also had depression at some point.

 Moderate study design

170 women with varying depression history

## What they did

Researchers evaluated 170 women for both current and lifetime depression using standard diagnostic criteria. They also assessed premenstrual mood changes using a separate assessment tool.

## What they found

57% of women with a lifetime depression diagnosis met criteria for severe PMS-related mood symptoms. Only 14% of women who'd never had mental illness met these criteria. Of women with severe PMS mood symptoms, 84% also had major depression, while only 9% had never had any mental illness.

## What it means for you

There's a strong two-way link between depression history and PMS mood changes. We can't tell whether having depression makes PMS worse, whether PMS leads to depression, or whether both stem from shared causes.

170

women studied

57%

with depression history had PMS mood symptoms

84%

with PMS mood symptoms had depression

## About the study

Original title Relationship of dysphoric premenstrual changes to depressive disorders Authors Halbreich U, Endicott J Journal Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica Year 1985 Study design Survey study Participants 170 What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1985.tb02532.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1985.tb02532.x)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)

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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

What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Systematic review, 2022

Does having PMDD increase the risk of depression during pregnancy or after birth?

Cohort study, 2015

How common are PMS and PMDD in young women, and are they connected to depression?

Cohort study, 1995

Does premenstrual syndrome get worse as women age?

Randomised trial, 2024

Does what you eat affect PMS symptoms?

Non-randomised trial, 2008

Does changing sleep timing help mood in women with PMDD?

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