--- title: Does the hormone change at menopause cause depressed mood in women who have never been depressed before? description: Yes. In this study women with no history of depression were much more likely to have high depression scores and diagnosed depressive disorders during the meno url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/associations-of-hormones-and-menopausal-status-with-depressed-mood-in-women-with-2006/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the hormone change at menopause cause depressed mood in women who have never been depressed before? Cohort study, 2006 # Does the hormone change at menopause cause depressed mood in women who have never been depressed before? Yes. In this study women with no history of depression were much more likely to have high depression scores and diagnosed depressive disorders during the menopause transition, and this was linked to changing hormone levels, not just age. Moderate study design A subset of a randomly selected, population-based cohort of premenopausal women with no prior history of depression, followed for 8 years. ## What they did Researchers followed a group of premenopausal women with no history of depression for 8 years, as part of a larger randomly selected population study. They tracked each woman's own depression scores (CES-D), clinical depression diagnoses (PRIME-MD), menopausal status, and hormone levels (estradiol, FSH, LH) over time. ## What they found High depression scores were over 4 times more likely during the menopause transition than when the same woman was premenopausal (odds ratio 4.29). Diagnosed depressive disorder was about 2.5 times more likely during the transition (odds ratio 2.50). Rising FSH and LH, and more variability in estradiol, FSH and LH around a woman's own normal levels, were each linked to higher depression scores, even after accounting for smoking, weight, PMS, hot flashes, sleep, health, work and marital status. ## What it means for you This supports the idea that the hormonal upheaval of the menopause transition itself, not just getting older, can trigger new depressed mood even in women who have never had depression before. The study followed each woman over time and compared her to herself, which is a strength, but it cannot fully prove hormones cause depression, since other changing life factors could still play a role. OR 4.29 odds of high depression score during menopause transition vs premenopausal OR 2.50 odds of diagnosed depressive disorder during transition vs premenopausal 8 years length of follow-up ## About the study Original title Associations of hormones and menopausal status with depressed mood in women with no history of depression Authors Freeman EW, Sammel MD, Lin H et al. Journal Archives of general psychiatry Year 2006 Study design Cohort study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.63.4.375](https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.63.4.375) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)[Perimenopause and menopause](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-perimenopause/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/) 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, 1992 Is PMS really caused by hormones? Review, 2012 Is depression linked to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause? Review, 1998 How does estrogen affect serotonin and what does this mean for mood disorders like PMS? Survey study, 1993 Are women with menopause distress more likely to have had past depression linked to their periods? Cohort study, 2007 Do women with depression or bipolar disorder experience premenstrual mood symptoms? Survey study, 2005 Does the menstrual cycle affect obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗