--- title: Does adding birth control to antidepressants help depression that worsens before your period? description: Adding drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol to antidepressants did not significantly improve premenstrual depression better than placebo in this small study. Both g url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/treatment-of-premenstrual-breakthrough-of-depression-with-adjunctive-oral-2017/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does adding birth control to antidepressants help depression that worsens before your period? Randomised trial, 2017 # Does adding birth control to antidepressants help depression that worsens before your period? Adding drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol to antidepressants did not significantly improve premenstrual depression better than placebo in this small study. Both groups improved similarly. Early or limited evidence Women with depression in remission on antidepressants who experience 30% worsening premenstrually (25 women completed) ## What they did Women with depression stable on antidepressants but experiencing 30% symptom worsening before their period were randomly assigned to add either a specific birth control pill (drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol) or placebo to their existing treatment. They took their assigned pill daily for 2 months and reported symptoms using depression scales tied to their menstrual cycle. ## What they found Of 32 women who started, 25 completed the study (12 on pill, 13 on placebo). Premenstrual depression scores fell 43.6% with the pill versus 38.9% with placebo (not statistically significant, p=0.59). A trend suggested women with fewer lifetime depressive episodes might benefit more. ## What it means for you This birth control pill added to antidepressants does not specifically help premenstrual depression beyond placebo. The study was very small with only 25 women and lasted just 2 months. Future research should test this approach in women confirmed to be hormone-sensitive. 25 women completed study 2 months treatment duration 43.6% depression improvement on pill ## About the study Original title Treatment of Premenstrual Breakthrough of Depression With Adjunctive Oral Contraceptive Pills Compared With Placebo Authors Peters W, Freeman MP, Kim S et al. Journal Journal of clinical psychopharmacology Year 2017 Study design Randomised trial Participants 13 What was tested Drospirenone 3 mg/ethinyl estradiol 20 mcg added to antidepressants Read the paper [doi.org/10.1097/jcp.0000000000000761](https://doi.org/10.1097/jcp.0000000000000761) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[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 Study, 2026 Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition? Study, 2026 What treatments work for PMDD? Randomised trial, 2008 Does taking more antidepressant just before the period help depression that worsens then? Study, 2005 Do women with depression experience worsening of symptoms before their period? Survey study, 2004 How often does depression get worse before a woman's period? Case report, 2023 Can stopping ovulation help severe PMDD when other treatments do not work? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗