--- title: How common is PMDD? | Niyora description: PMDD affects 3.2% of women when diagnosed with confirmed criteria and 7.7% when using provisional diagnosis. This means PMDD is less common than some estimate url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-prevalence-of-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-systematic-review-and-meta-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How common is PMDD? Systematic review, 2024 # How common is PMDD? PMDD affects 3.2% of women when diagnosed with confirmed criteria and 7.7% when using provisional diagnosis. This means PMDD is less common than some estimates suggest. Strong study design 50,659 participants across 44 studies in multiple countries ## What they did Researchers searched databases for 44 studies measuring how many women have PMDD. They combined the results using statistical methods to get an overall estimate. ## What they found The overall prevalence was 3.2% with confirmed diagnosis and 7.7% with provisional diagnosis. There was high variation between studies. The continent where studies were done affected the results. ## What it means for you PMDD is relatively uncommon. Studies that don't fully confirm the diagnosis tend to report higher rates. A major limitation is that few studies used complete diagnostic criteria in regular community settings. 3.2% prevalence with confirmed diagnosis 7.7% prevalence with provisional diagnosis 50,659 total participants ## About the study Original title The prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Systematic review and meta-analysis Authors Reilly TJ, Patel S, Unachukwu IC et al. Journal Journal of affective disorders Year 2024 Study design Systematic review What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.066](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.066) Original abstract Background: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is characterised by symptoms confined to the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle. Confirmed diagnosis requires prospective monitoring of symptoms over two cycles, otherwise the diagnosis is provisional. We aimed to measure the point prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Methods: We searched for studies of prevalence using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and PubMed. For each study, the total sample size and number of cases were extracted. The prevalence across studies was calculated using random effects meta-analysis with a generalised linear mixed model. Potential sources of heterogeneity were explored by meta-regression and subgroup analyses. Pre-registration was with PROSPERO (CRD42021249249). Results: 44 studies with 48 independent samples met inclusion criteria, consisting of 50,659 participants. The pooled prevalence was 3.2 % (95 % confidence intervals: 1.7 %-5.9 %) for confirmed and 7.7 % (95 % confidence intervals: 5.3 %-11.0 %) for provisional diagnosis. There was high heterogeneity across all studies (I 2 = 99 %). Sources of heterogeneity identified by meta-regression were continent of sample (p 2 = 26 %). Limitations: A small number of included studies used full DSM criteria in community settings. Conclusions: The point prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder using confirmed diagnosis is lower compared with provisional diagnosis. Studies relying on provisional diagnosis are likely to produce artificially high prevalence rates. 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/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/) 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 What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms? Systematic review, 2026 How often do mood disorders and PMS or PMDD occur together? Review, 2024 What are the most effective treatments for PMDD? Systematic review, 2021 Are there hormone changes that could explain PMDD or depression in women? Non-randomised trial, 2008 Can the Sheehan Disability Scale measure whether treatments work? Randomised trial, 2004 Does dosing sertraline continuously or just before the period work better for severe PMS? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗