---
title: Do women with PMDD have worse symptoms in certain seasons? | Niyora
description: Yes, clearly. Women with PMDD have much stronger seasonal patterns in their mood and symptoms than women without PMDD, with 25% to 30% reporting that seasonal
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/seasonality-of-symptoms-in-women-with-late-luteal-phase-dysphoric-disorder-1997/
---

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- Do women with PMDD have worse symptoms in certain seasons?

Survey study, 1997

# Do women with PMDD have worse symptoms in certain seasons?

Yes, clearly. Women with PMDD have much stronger seasonal patterns in their mood and symptoms than women without PMDD, with 25% to 30% reporting that seasonal worsening is a marked or severe problem.

 Moderate study design

100 women with PMDD (clinic patients) and 50 healthy women

## What they did

They asked 100 women with PMDD (from a clinic) and 50 healthy women without PMDD about seasonal patterns in their mood and premenstrual symptoms using questionnaires modified to include items about seasonality of premenstrual symptoms.

## What they found

Women with PMDD had significantly higher seasonal variation scores than the healthy group. 38% of women with PMDD met criteria for seasonal affective disorder compared to 8% of the healthy group. 25% of the PMDD group rated their seasonal variation in premenstrual symptoms as marked or severe, and 30% considered seasonal changes in their overall symptoms a marked or severe problem.

## What it means for you

PMDD symptoms often worsen in particular seasons, which is important for planning treatment. Light therapy might help women whose PMDD worsens in darker seasons. The main limitation is that this is based on memory and self-report rather than daily tracking of symptoms.

100

Women with PMDD

38%

PMDD women with seasonal affective disorder

25%

PMDD women rating seasonal worsening as marked or severe

## About the study

Original title Seasonality of symptoms in women with late luteal phase dysphoric disorder Authors Maskall DD, Lam RW, Misri S et al. Journal The American journal of psychiatry Year 1997 Study design Survey study Participants 50 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1176/ajp.154.10.1436](https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.154.10.1436)

## 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/)[Light therapy and sleep deprivation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-light-therapy/)

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

Randomised trial, 1999

Does bright light therapy help PMDD symptoms like depression and tension?

Randomised trial, 1994

How does light therapy affect hormone levels in women with PMDD?

Study, 2011

Does bright morning light reset the body clock differently in women with PMDD?

Study, 2010

Are women with PMDD more sensitive to how light affects sleep hormones?

Cohort study, 2026

What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms?

Study, 2026

How do women with PMDD process emotions differently in their brains?

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