--- title: Do birth control pills help depression that worsens before the period in women on antidepressants? description: Both women who got additional hormone in the second phase and those who got placebo improved significantly, so we cannot say whether the additional hormone ma url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/treatment-of-premenstrual-worsening-of-depression-with-adjunctive-oral-2007/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do birth control pills help depression that worsens before the period in women on antidepressants? Randomised trial, 2007 # Do birth control pills help depression that worsens before the period in women on antidepressants? Both women who got additional hormone in the second phase and those who got placebo improved significantly, so we cannot say whether the additional hormone made a difference. Early or limited evidence 25 women taking antidepressants with depression that worsens before their period, 21 completed ## What they did 25 women taking antidepressants whose depression worsened before their period participated. First, all took ethinyl estradiol 30 mcg and drospirenone 3 mg for 21 days per cycle. Then for days 22-28, they randomly received (double-blind) either more hormone or placebo. This repeated for 2 cycles. 21 completed. ## What they found In women who completed the study, depression scores improved significantly on the MADRS scale (p = .0019) and daily symptom severity also improved significantly (p = .0001). However, there was no difference between those who received extra ethinyl estradiol and those who received placebo. ## What it means for you Adding birth control pills may help depression that breaks through before the period. However, since both groups improved equally, we cannot be sure it was the extra hormone causing the improvement rather than expectation or other factors. The study is small and many women dropped out, so results need confirmation in a larger study. 25 women enrolled 21 women who completed 2 cycles study duration ## About the study Original title Treatment of premenstrual worsening of depression with adjunctive oral contraceptive pills: a preliminary report Authors Joffe H, Petrillo LF, Viguera AC et al. Journal The Journal of clinical psychiatry Year 2007 Study design Randomised trial Participants 13 What was tested Ethinyl estradiol 30 mcg and drospirenone 3 mg with additional hormone or placebo Read the paper [doi.org/10.4088/jcp.v68n1218](https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.v68n1218) ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[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? Case-control study, 2007 Are there genes that increase the risk of PMDD? Case report, 2023 Can stopping ovulation help severe PMDD when other treatments do not work? Study, 2022 What are the symptoms, causes, and treatments of PMS and PMDD? Randomised trial, 2017 Does adding birth control to antidepressants help depression that worsens before your period? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗