---
title: The slow history of PMS and PMDD research · Niyora
description: From “premenstrual tension” in 1931 to PMDD’s full diagnosis in 2013, a sourced timeline of how slowly research on women’s health and PMDD has moved.
url: https://niyora.com/research/timeline/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- Research timeline

95 years

of research on PMS and PMDD, 1931 to today

**69 years** from first description to first medicine

**26 years** in the manual’s appendix

**16 years** out of early drug trials

**1931** First described

**1953** PMS named

**1977** Women kept out of trials

**1987** First criteria

**1993** Women back in

**2000** First medicine

**2013** Full diagnosis

**2019** In ICD-11

**2026** Today

**754** papers in 2025

Papers published each year

A name, little science

Women left out

For further study

Recognized

**1931** First described

**1953** PMS named

**1977** Women kept out of trials

**1987** First criteria

**1993** Women back in

**2000** First medicine

**2013** Full diagnosis

**2019** In ICD-11

**2026** Today

**69 years** from first description to first medicine

**26 years** in the manual’s appendix

**16 years** out of early drug trials

A name, little science

Women left out

For further study

Recognized

The glow on the right is papers published each year. It reaches 754 in 2025.

A river of light from 1931 to 2026. It passes through four eras: 1931 to 1976, A name, little science; 1977 to 1993, Women left out; 1994 to 2012, For further study; 2013 to 2026, Recognized. Shaded spans mark 69 years from first description to first medicine, 1931 to 2000; 26 years in the manual’s appendix, 1987 to 2013; 16 years out of early drug trials, 1977 to 1993. Papers published each year stay low until the 1980s and reach 754 in 2025.

69 years: [Frank, 1931, Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry](https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurpsyc.1931.02230110151009); [FDA approval letter, Sarafem, July 6, 2000](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2000/18936S58LTR.PDF). 26 years: [Epperson et al., 2012, American Journal of Psychiatry](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3462360/); [American Psychiatric Association, changes from DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5](https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM_Changes_from_DSM-IV-TR_-to_DSM-5.pdf). 16 years: [Liu and Mager, 2016, Pharmacy Practice](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4800017/); [FDA, Evaluation of Sex Differences in Clinical Investigations, 2025](https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/evaluation-sex-differences-clinical-investigations). Papers each year: the Niyora research library, counted to October 13, 2026.

[Research](https://niyora.com/research/)

# Women’s health research timeline: how slow progress has been

Doctors described the days before a period in 1931. The first medicine approved for PMDD came in 2000, and PMDD became a full diagnosis in 2013. This is the whole story on one page, with a source under every step.

- [1931 to 1976A name, and very little science](#named)
- [1977 to 1993Women left out of the evidence](#excluded)
- [1994 to 2012Still “for further study”, and the first medicines](#appendix)
- [2013 to todayRecognized, and still catching up](#recognized) [Studies per year, 1930 to 2026](#studies)

## Does this sound familiar?

If any of these sound like your life, you’re not imagining it, and it isn’t your fault. Each one has a history.

- You’ve been told it’s just PMS. PMDD has been a full diagnosis only since 2013. For 26 years before that, its criteria sat in the appendix of the psychiatric manual. [American Psychiatric Association, changes from DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5](https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM_Changes_from_DSM-IV-TR_-to_DSM-5.pdf); [Epperson et al., 2012, American Journal of Psychiatry](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3462360/)
- Your blood tests came back normal, and you still feel like a different person every month. PMDD isn’t caused by abnormal hormone levels. NIH studies found the difference is in how the body responds to normal hormone changes. [Schmidt et al., 1998, New England Journal of Medicine](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9435325/); [Dubey et al., 2017, Molecular Psychiatry](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28044059/)
- You saw doctor after doctor before anyone gave it a name. In a 2026 study of 267 people in Australia, people saw 5.1 healthcare providers on average while seeking a diagnosis, and 56% reported a misdiagnosis. [Border and Miller, 2026, Health Services Insights](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12779906/)
- You’ve wondered whether your medicine was ever tested on someone like you. From 1977 to 1993, FDA advice kept most women who could become pregnant out of the earliest drug trials. [Liu and Mager, 2016, Pharmacy Practice](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4800017/); [FDA, Evaluation of Sex Differences in Clinical Investigations, 2025](https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/evaluation-sex-differences-clinical-investigations)
- It takes a week of every month, and it still gets treated as a small thing. A 2024 global report put the economic value of addressing PMS at $115 billion. In NIH’s 2025 fiscal year, 10 funded projects mentioned PMDD in their title or summary. [McKinsey Health Institute, January 17, 2024](https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/closing-the-womens-health-gap-a-1-trillion-dollar-opportunity-to-improve-lives-and-economies); [NIH RePORTER, fiscal year 2025, searched October 13, 2026](https://reporter.nih.gov/)

### What’s changing

- **2.4 years.** The average wait for a diagnosis among people who noticed symptoms after PMDD became official in 2013. For those who noticed them before, it was 12.3 years. [Border and Miller, 2026, Health Services Insights](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12779906/)
- **209 papers.** Research on PMDD published in 2025, against 46 in 2000. [See the chart](#studies).
- **36 trials.** PMS and PMDD clinical trials that started in 2025, against 5 in 2020. [See the chart](#studies).

1931 to 1976

## A name, and very little science

Doctors described the days before a period in medical journals, gave it a name, and mostly moved on.

- 1931 ### A gynecologist describes “premenstrual tension” Robert T. Frank publishes “The hormonal causes of premenstrual tension” in the Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry. Why it mattered It gives the week before a period a medical name and looks for a physical cause, in hormones. Sources: [Frank, 1931, Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry](https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurpsyc.1931.02230110151009); [Embryo Project Encyclopedia, Arizona State University](https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/premenstrual-syndrome-1953-raymond-greene-and-katharina-dalton)
- 1953 ### “Premenstrual syndrome” gets its name Raymond Greene and Katharina Dalton publish “The premenstrual syndrome” in the British Medical Journal. They choose “syndrome” over “tension” because the symptoms reach well past tension. Why it mattered It’s the name most people still use. A name made the condition easier to talk about. It didn’t make it easier to treat. Sources: [Greene and Dalton, 1953, British Medical Journal](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13032605/); [Embryo Project Encyclopedia, Arizona State University](https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/premenstrual-syndrome-1953-raymond-greene-and-katharina-dalton)

1977 to 1993

## Women left out of the evidence

For 16 years, FDA advice kept most women who could become pregnant out of the earliest drug trials. When NIH asked researchers to include women, its own auditors found the request wasn’t working.

- 1977 ### The FDA advises keeping women out of early drug trials After the thalidomide tragedy, an FDA guideline says women who could become pregnant should be excluded from Phase 1 and early Phase 2 studies, unless the drug is for a life-threatening illness. Why it mattered “Could become pregnant” was read to include women on contraception and women with sterile partners. The FDA and researchers now describe the guideline as “rigid and paternalistic.” Source: [Liu and Mager, 2016, Pharmacy Practice](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4800017/)
- 1986 ### NIH asks researchers to include women After a 1985 Public Health Service task force on women’s health, NIH sets a policy encouraging researchers to include women in their studies. Why it mattered Encouraging isn’t the same as requiring. Four years later, auditors checked how it was going. Sources: [Douthard, Whitten and Clayton, 2022, NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8864416/); [Liu and Mager, 2016, Pharmacy Practice](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4800017/)
- 1987 ### The first formal criteria, in an appendix The American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-III-R lists “late luteal phase dysphoric disorder” in Appendix A: at least five symptoms that start before a period and ease once it begins. Why it mattered Researchers could finally agree on who they were studying. It stayed outside the main manual for the next 26 years. Sources: [Epperson et al., 2012, American Journal of Psychiatry](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3462360/); [Endicott, 2000, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11041378/); [American Psychiatric Association, history of the DSM](https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/about-dsm/history-of-the-dsm)
- 1990 ### Government auditors find NIH’s policy isn’t working In June 1990, the GAO tells Congress that NIH’s policy on including women “has not been well communicated or understood within NIH or the research community.” Why it mattered It also found NIH officials had taken little action on asking researchers to analyze results by gender. Source: [US GAO, T-HRD-90-38, June 18, 1990](https://www.gao.gov/products/t-hrd-90-38)
- 1990 ### NIH opens an Office of Research on Women’s Health Set up in September 1990 to make sure NIH research addresses women’s health and includes women in clinical studies. Why it mattered It followed years of pressure from the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues to act on the 1985 task force’s advice. Sources: [Kirschstein, 1991, American Journal of Public Health](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1994737/); [Douthard, Whitten and Clayton, 2022, NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8864416/)
- 1993 ### A law requires women in NIH clinical research The NIH Revitalization Act requires NIH to include women and minorities in all the clinical research it funds, unless there’s a compelling scientific reason not to, and to design trials so results can be analyzed by sex. Why it mattered It also wrote the Office of Research on Women’s Health into law. Sources: [Douthard, Whitten and Clayton, 2022, NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8864416/); [Liu and Mager, 2016, Pharmacy Practice](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4800017/)
- 1993 ### The FDA reverses its 1977 advice On July 22, 1993, a new FDA guideline lifts the restriction on most women who could become pregnant joining Phase 1 and early Phase 2 trials, and encourages them to take part. Why it mattered Pregnancy testing and contraception counseling took the place of a blanket rule. The guideline also asks drug makers to consider how the stage of the menstrual cycle affects a drug, where they can. Sources: [FDA, Evaluation of Sex Differences in Clinical Investigations, 2025](https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/evaluation-sex-differences-clinical-investigations); [Liu and Mager, 2016, Pharmacy Practice](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4800017/)
- 16 years that FDA advice kept most women who could become pregnant out of early drug trials, from 1977 to 1993. [Liu and Mager, 2016, Pharmacy Practice](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4800017/); [FDA, Evaluation of Sex Differences in Clinical Investigations, 2025](https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/evaluation-sex-differences-clinical-investigations)

1994 to 2012

## Still “for further study”, and the first medicines

PMDD got its name and its first approved treatments while the psychiatric manual still listed it as needing more research.

- 1994 ### It’s renamed premenstrual dysphoric disorder DSM-IV renames late luteal phase dysphoric disorder as PMDD and keeps it in Appendix B, “Criteria Sets and Axes Provided for Further Study.” Why it mattered Clear criteria helped research grow. The experts who later proposed moving it into the main manual said that would give it “greater legitimacy.” Sources: [Epperson et al., 2012, American Journal of Psychiatry](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3462360/); [American Psychiatric Association, changes from DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5](https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM_Changes_from_DSM-IV-TR_-to_DSM-5.pdf); [American Psychiatric Association, history of the DSM](https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/about-dsm/history-of-the-dsm)
- 1998 ### The difference is in the response, not the hormones In an NIH study in the New England Journal of Medicine, women with PMS felt better when their ovarian hormones were switched off, and their symptoms came back when estrogen or progesterone was added. Women without PMS had no mood change on the same hormones. Why it mattered The authors concluded the symptoms are “an abnormal response to normal hormonal changes.” The 2017 gene study below builds on this. Source: [Schmidt et al., 1998, New England Journal of Medicine](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9435325/)
- 2000 ### The first FDA-approved medicine for PMDD On July 6, 2000, the FDA approves fluoxetine for PMDD, sold for it under the name Sarafem. Why it mattered It’s an SSRI, the same medicine as Prozac under a new brand name. Sources: [FDA approval letter, Sarafem, July 6, 2000](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2000/18936S58LTR.PDF); [MIT News, July 7, 2000](https://news.mit.edu/2000/prozac)
- 69 years from the first medical description of premenstrual tension in 1931 to the first FDA-approved medicine for PMDD in 2000. [Frank, 1931, Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry](https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurpsyc.1931.02230110151009); [FDA approval letter, Sarafem, July 6, 2000](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2000/18936S58LTR.PDF)
- 2002–2006 ### Three more approvals, then a long pause Sertraline (May 2002), paroxetine CR (August 2003) and the birth control pill drospirenone with ethinyl estradiol, sold as YAZ (October 2006), are approved for PMDD. Why it mattered Every medicine with PMDD on its FDA label today is one of these two kinds: an SSRI, or a drospirenone pill. Sources: [FDA approval letter, Zoloft for PMDD, 2002](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2002/19-839s039ltr.pdf); [FDA approval letter, Paxil CR for PMDD, 2003](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2003/20936se1-011ltr.pdf); [FDA approval letter, YAZ, October 2006](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2006/021873s000LTR.pdf); [openFDA drug label search for “premenstrual dysphoric disorder”](https://api.fda.gov/drug/label.json?search=indications_and_usage:%22premenstrual+dysphoric+disorder%22&count=openfda.generic_name.exact&limit=50)

2013 to today

## Recognized, and still catching up

PMDD is now a full diagnosis in both of the world’s main diagnostic manuals. Funding, and doctors’ awareness, are moving more slowly.

- 2013 ### PMDD becomes a full diagnosis DSM-5 moves PMDD out of Appendix B and into the main manual, as a depressive disorder, “based on strong scientific evidence.” Why it mattered Doctors now had an official diagnosis, with set criteria, to work from. Sources: [American Psychiatric Association, changes from DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5](https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM_Changes_from_DSM-IV-TR_-to_DSM-5.pdf); [American Psychiatric Association, history of the DSM](https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/about-dsm/history-of-the-dsm)
- 26 years between the first formal criteria in 1987 and PMDD becoming a full diagnosis in 2013. [Epperson et al., 2012, American Journal of Psychiatry](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3462360/); [American Psychiatric Association, changes from DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5](https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM_Changes_from_DSM-IV-TR_-to_DSM-5.pdf)
- 2016 ### NIH asks every study to consider sex From January 25, 2016, NIH expects “sex as a biological variable” to be built into the design, analysis and reporting of the animal and human studies it funds. Why it mattered It came 23 years after the law on clinical trials, and carried the same idea into lab research. Source: [Douthard, Whitten and Clayton, 2022, NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8864416/)
- 2017 ### A clue inside the cells NIH scientists grow cells from women with PMDD and from women without it, and find differences in a gene complex, ESC/E(Z), that responds to estrogen and progesterone. Why it mattered It’s evidence, at the level of cells, that PMDD involves a real difference in how the body responds to normal hormones. Source: [Dubey et al., 2017, Molecular Psychiatry](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28044059/)
- 2019 ### PMDD gets a code in the WHO’s ICD-11 The World Health Assembly adopts ICD-11 in May 2019, in effect from January 1, 2022. PMDD is listed as GA34.41. Why it mattered ICD codes are what health records and health statistics use. The entry says symptoms should ideally be confirmed with a daily diary over at least two cycles. Sources: [WHO, World Health Assembly update, May 25, 2019](https://www.who.int/news/item/25-05-2019-world-health-assembly-update); [WHO ICD-11, GA34.41 Premenstrual dysphoric disorder](https://icd.who.int/browse/2024-01/mms/en#1526774088)
- 2021 ### Funding follows men’s diseases more than women’s An analysis of NIH funding against disease burden finds that in nearly three-quarters of diseases that mostly affect one sex, the funding pattern favors males. Why it mattered When a disease mostly affects women, it tends to get less research money than its burden would call for. Source: [Mirin, 2021, Journal of Women’s Health](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33232627/)
- 2024 ### A global report puts a number on the gap The World Economic Forum and McKinsey Health Institute report that women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men, and that NIH spends 11% of its budget on research specific to women’s health. Why it mattered It lists PMS among ten conditions whose treatment would make up more than half the economic gain of closing the gap, and puts PMS alone at $115 billion. Sources: [World Economic Forum, January 17, 2024](https://www.weforum.org/publications/closing-the-women-s-health-gap-a-1-trillion-opportunity-to-improve-lives-and-economies/); [McKinsey Health Institute, January 17, 2024](https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/closing-the-womens-health-gap-a-1-trillion-dollar-opportunity-to-improve-lives-and-economies)
- 2024 ### A careful count of how common PMDD is A meta-analysis of 44 studies and 50,659 people finds PMDD in 3.2% when the diagnosis is confirmed with daily ratings, and 1.6% in community samples with a confirmed diagnosis. Why it mattered Studies that skipped daily ratings found 7.7%. The authors say rates from those studies are likely “artificially high.” Source: [Reilly et al., 2024, Journal of Affective Disorders](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38199397/)
- 2026 ### A shorter wait since PMDD became official In an Australian study of 267 people who sought PMDD care, those who noticed symptoms before 2013 waited 12.3 years on average for a diagnosis. Those who noticed them later waited 2.4 years. Why it mattered Only 19% were diagnosed the recommended way, with daily ratings over two cycles. Part of the drop is timing, since newer cases haven’t had as long to wait. Source: [Border and Miller, 2026, Health Services Insights](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12779906/)
- 10 NIH projects in fiscal year 2025 mentioned PMDD in their title or summary. Three had it in the title, and two of those are halves of one study. [NIH RePORTER, fiscal year 2025, searched October 13, 2026](https://reporter.nih.gov/)

## How many studies a year look at PMS and PMDD

Each bar is one year of published papers on PMS, PMDD and closely related conditions. Before 1983, no year had 100. In 2025 there were 754, and 28% of them were about PMDD.

All other papers About PMDD 2026 so far **1931** First described **1953** PMS named **1987** First criteria **2000** First medicine **2013** Full diagnosis

200

400

600

800

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

165 papers in 1987, when the first criteria appeared. 192 in 2000, the year of the first approved medicine. 213 in 2013, when PMDD became a full diagnosis. The dashed bar is 2026 up to October 13.

See every number

| Year | Papers | About PMDD |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1930 | 2 | 0 |
| 1931 | 1 | 0 |
| 1932 | 1 | 0 |
| 1933 | 1 | 0 |
| 1938 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939 | 2 | 0 |
| 1940 | 1 | 0 |
| 1941 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942 | 3 | 0 |
| 1943 | 6 | 0 |
| 1944 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945 | 5 | 0 |
| 1946 | 6 | 0 |
| 1947 | 5 | 0 |
| 1948 | 3 | 0 |
| 1949 | 6 | 0 |
| 1950 | 12 | 0 |
| 1951 | 24 | 0 |
| 1952 | 12 | 0 |
| 1953 | 32 | 0 |
| 1954 | 20 | 0 |
| 1955 | 28 | 0 |
| 1956 | 26 | 0 |
| 1957 | 27 | 0 |
| 1958 | 26 | 0 |
| 1959 | 39 | 0 |
| 1960 | 27 | 0 |
| 1961 | 26 | 0 |
| 1962 | 30 | 0 |
| 1963 | 50 | 0 |
| 1964 | 55 | 0 |
| 1965 | 29 | 0 |
| 1966 | 29 | 0 |
| 1967 | 26 | 0 |
| 1968 | 38 | 0 |
| 1969 | 35 | 0 |
| 1970 | 31 | 0 |
| 1971 | 42 | 0 |
| 1972 | 33 | 0 |
| 1973 | 31 | 0 |
| 1974 | 43 | 0 |
| 1975 | 52 | 0 |
| 1976 | 50 | 0 |
| 1977 | 51 | 1 |
| 1978 | 41 | 1 |
| 1979 | 72 | 0 |
| 1980 | 65 | 0 |
| 1981 | 70 | 0 |
| 1982 | 87 | 0 |
| 1983 | 103 | 2 |
| 1984 | 96 | 3 |
| 1985 | 132 | 2 |
| 1986 | 131 | 3 |
| 1987 | 165 | 3 |
| 1988 | 166 | 5 |
| 1989 | 190 | 14 |
| 1990 | 179 | 9 |
| 1991 | 156 | 7 |
| 1992 | 157 | 18 |
| 1993 | 151 | 9 |
| 1994 | 151 | 13 |
| 1995 | 167 | 25 |
| 1996 | 130 | 19 |
| 1997 | 184 | 42 |
| 1998 | 169 | 26 |
| 1999 | 186 | 44 |
| 2000 | 192 | 46 |
| 2001 | 210 | 58 |
| 2002 | 209 | 70 |
| 2003 | 184 | 53 |
| 2004 | 178 | 51 |
| 2005 | 188 | 51 |
| 2006 | 203 | 55 |
| 2007 | 184 | 54 |
| 2008 | 219 | 65 |
| 2009 | 203 | 43 |
| 2010 | 206 | 52 |
| 2011 | 210 | 59 |
| 2012 | 205 | 58 |
| 2013 | 213 | 51 |
| 2014 | 264 | 60 |
| 2015 | 241 | 46 |
| 2016 | 253 | 54 |
| 2017 | 295 | 70 |
| 2018 | 314 | 68 |
| 2019 | 294 | 71 |
| 2020 | 344 | 77 |
| 2021 | 393 | 86 |
| 2022 | 492 | 123 |
| 2023 | 560 | 145 |
| 2024 | 581 | 160 |
| 2025 | 754 | 209 |
| 2026 (so far) | 736 | 224 |

### Clinical trials, by the year they started

Registered trials on PMS, PMDD and closely related conditions. 161 of the 280 started in 2022 or later.

Trials started 2026 so far

10

20

30

40

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

2025

6 more trials started before 2000, 1 is planned to start after 2026 and 1 has no start date. ClinicalTrials.gov opened in 2000, so earlier trials are undercounted.

See every number

| Year | Trials started |
| --- | --- |
| 2000 | 4 |
| 2001 | 2 |
| 2002 | 3 |
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2004 | 7 |
| 2005 | 7 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 5 |
| 2009 | 5 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 7 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 10 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 12 |
| 2022 | 29 |
| 2023 | 33 |
| 2024 | 35 |
| 2025 | 36 |
| 2026 (so far) | 28 |

### About these numbers

Papers come from Europe PMC, PubMed and OpenAlex, with retracted papers left out. Trials come from ClinicalTrials.gov and the ISRCTN registry. Both run to October 13, 2026. ClinicalTrials.gov [opened in 2000](https://clinicaltrials.gov/about-site/about-ctg), so older trials are missing.

Medical publishing grew in every field over these decades, so the shape of the bars says more than their height. You can read the papers themselves in the [research library](https://niyora.com/research/library/), or just the [PMDD studies](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/).

## What this means for you today

The slow part was the science and the funding. The diagnosis itself is now settled, and that changes what you can ask for.

- ### PMDD is an official diagnosis It’s in the DSM-5 and in the WHO’s ICD-11 as GA34.41. If a doctor seems unsure, those two names are worth bringing up. [APA](https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM_Changes_from_DSM-IV-TR_-to_DSM-5.pdf); [WHO ICD-11](https://icd.who.int/browse/2024-01/mms/en#1526774088)
- ### Two months of daily notes A confirmed diagnosis rests on symptoms rated daily over at least two cycles. In the Australian study, only 19% were diagnosed this way. [Reilly et al., 2024](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38199397/); [WHO ICD-11](https://icd.who.int/browse/2024-01/mms/en#1526774088); [Border and Miller, 2026](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12779906/)
- ### Approved treatments exist Some SSRIs and a drospirenone birth control pill are FDA-approved for PMDD. A doctor can help you weigh them. [openFDA label search](https://api.fda.gov/drug/label.json?search=indications_and_usage:%22premenstrual+dysphoric+disorder%22&count=openfda.generic_name.exact&limit=50)

Niyora is a PMS and PMDD support app. On a hard day, Moon gives you somewhere to write what happened and calm down before you answer anyone.

[How to get diagnosed](https://niyora.com/care/how-to-get-diagnosed/) [What PMDD is](https://niyora.com/pmdd/) [Why the research is slow](https://niyora.com/blog/why-pmdd-research-moves-so-slowly/) [What nobody has studied yet](https://niyora.com/research/gaps/)