--- title: Do women with PMDD and depression process progesterone differently than others? description: Yes. Women with prior depression convert progesterone to its active form less efficiently. Women with PMDD and no depression history show unusual patterns of url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/associations-of-histories-of-depression-and-pmdd-diagnosis-with-allopregnanolone-2006/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women with PMDD and depression process progesterone differently than others? Randomised trial, 2006 # Do women with PMDD and depression process progesterone differently than others? Yes. Women with prior depression convert progesterone to its active form less efficiently. Women with PMDD and no depression history show unusual patterns of this conversion, suggesting altered metabolic pathways. Moderate study design 23 women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder and 29 without, about half of each group with prior depression history ## What they did 23 women with PMDD and 29 without PMDD (about half in each group had prior depression) received a double-blind placebo-controlled 300 mg dose of oral micronized progesterone. Researchers measured progesterone and its metabolite allopregnanolone at four time points (160, 190, 225, and 255 minutes after dosing). ## What they found Women with prior depression had lower allopregnanolone levels and marginally lower progesterone levels after the dose, especially non-PMDD women with depression. PMDD women without prior depression had unusually high allopregnanolone-to-progesterone ratios. All women reported increased confusion, fatigue, and reduced confidence after progesterone administration, even accounting for placebo effects. ## What it means for you Depression history may reduce how efficiently the body converts progesterone into its active form, which could explain why some women with PMDD don't respond well to progesterone treatment. The temporary mood worsening from the progesterone dose itself is concerning and needs further study. This was a small acute-dosing study. 23 women with PMDD 29 women without PMDD 300 mg progesterone dose ## About the study Original title Associations of histories of depression and PMDD diagnosis with allopregnanolone concentrations following the oral administration of micronized progesterone Authors Klatzkin RR, Morrow AL, Light KC et al. Journal Psychoneuroendocrinology Year 2006 Study design Randomised trial What was tested Single 300 mg oral dose of micronized progesterone under double-blind placebo-controlled conditions Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.09.002](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.09.002) ## 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/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Estradiol, progesterone and hormone therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormone-therapy/)[Neurosteroids (allopregnanolone)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-neurosteroids/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/) 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 Review, 2004 Could a brain hormone called allopregnanolone explain mood problems like PMDD in women? Survey study, 2022 What causes PMS and PMDD and what new treatments are being studied? Systematic review, 2021 Are there hormone changes that could explain PMDD or depression in women? Review, 2003 How do menstrual cycle hormones affect the brain and cause mood disorders like PMDD? Case-control study, 2013 Are stress hormones different in women with PMDD? Non-randomised trial, 2024 Does luteal phase sertraline treatment affect stress hormones and inflammation in PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗