---
title: Does taking sertraline only during the second half of the cycle help PMDD symptoms?
description: Yes, in this small study sertraline taken only during the luteal phase (the time between ovulation and your period) worked better than placebo at easing PMDD
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/treatment-of-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-with-sertraline-during-the-luteal-1998/
---

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- Does taking sertraline only during the second half of the cycle help PMDD symptoms?

Randomised trial, 1998

# Does taking sertraline only during the second half of the cycle help PMDD symptoms?

Yes, in this small study sertraline taken only during the luteal phase (the time between ovulation and your period) worked better than placebo at easing PMDD symptoms, but the evidence is weak because so few women finished the study.

 Early or limited evidence

31 women with PMDD enrolled; 11 completed the full study

## What they did

Researchers ran a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial in 31 women with PMDD. The study lasted 7 months: 2 months of screening, 2 months of either placebo or sertraline (taken only in the luteal phase), 1 month off treatment, then 2 more months switching to the other treatment. Women tracked symptoms daily. Only 11 women completed the whole study.

## What they found

During the luteal phase, women had higher (worse) symptom scores on placebo cycles than on sertraline cycles, for both behavioral symptoms (p = .0052) and physical symptoms (p = .014).

## What it means for you

This suggests sertraline can work for PMDD even when taken only part of the month, which could mean less medication overall. The big limitation is that only 11 of 31 women finished the study, so the results come from a very small group.

31

Women enrolled

11

Women who completed the study

p = .0052

p-value for behavioral symptoms

## About the study

Original title Treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder with sertraline during the luteal phase: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial Authors Young SA, Hurt PH, Benedek DM et al. Journal The Journal of clinical psychiatry Year 1998 Study design Randomised trial What was tested Sertraline taken only during the luteal phase of the cycle, compared with placebo Read the paper [doi.org/10.4088/jcp.v59n0206](https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.v59n0206)

## 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/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)[Economic burden](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-economic-burden/)

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