--- title: Does depression after pregnancy affect when periods return and how severe menstrual symptoms are? description: Women with higher depression scores at 6 months postpartum were more likely to have their periods return within 6 months. Women whose menstrual symptoms worse url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/associations-of-psychological-status-in-the-early-postpartum-period-with-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does depression after pregnancy affect when periods return and how severe menstrual symptoms are? Cohort study, 2022 # Does depression after pregnancy affect when periods return and how severe menstrual symptoms are? Women with higher depression scores at 6 months postpartum were more likely to have their periods return within 6 months. Women whose menstrual symptoms worsened had higher depression scores, but this wasn't confirmed when adjusted for other factors. Moderate study design 229 women who had recently given birth in Japan ## What they did A prospective cohort study of 229 women in Japan. Women filled out questionnaires at 3 days, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after giving birth. Depression was measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. ## What they found 38.8% of women had their periods return within 6 months postpartum. Women who resumed menstruation had significantly higher depression scores at 6 months than those who didn't. Women whose menstrual symptoms worsened compared to before pregnancy had higher depression scores during the postpartum period. ## What it means for you Depression in the early postpartum period may be linked to when periods return and how severe symptoms are. However, the study didn't prove depression directly causes worse symptoms. Findings are from Japan and may not apply to all populations. 38.8% Women with period resumption within 6 months 229 Total participants 6 Months of follow-up ## About the study Original title Associations of psychological status in the early postpartum period with resumption of menstruation and degree of menstruation-related symptoms Authors Ishihara R, Nagamine K, Nishikawa Y et al. Journal Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology : the journal of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Year 2022 Study design Cohort study Participants 229 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/01443615.2022.2114334](https://doi.org/10.1080/01443615.2022.2114334) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[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 Systematic review, 2026 Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Cohort study, 2025 Do women with a history of PMS or PMDD have more depression during pregnancy and after birth? Randomised trial, 2024 Does curcumin reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in women with PMS and dysmenorrhea? Systematic review, 2023 How common are menstrual cycle problems and PMS or PMDD in female athletes? Survey study, 2022 What causes PMS and PMDD and what new treatments are being studied? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗