--- title: Do women with PMDD have a weaker stress response? | Niyora description: Yes, women with PMDD showed significantly lower stress hormone (cortisol) levels 40 to 90 minutes after a stressful test, suggesting a blunted stress response url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/blunted-cortisol-response-to-acute-psychosocial-stress-in-women-with-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women with PMDD have a weaker stress response? Case-control study, 2024 # Do women with PMDD have a weaker stress response? Yes, women with PMDD showed significantly lower stress hormone (cortisol) levels 40 to 90 minutes after a stressful test, suggesting a blunted stress response. Moderate study design Women with PMDD and healthy controls ## What they did Women with PMDD and healthy controls completed a standardized stress test (Trier Social Stress Test) during the late luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. Researchers measured cortisol in blood samples collected throughout the test. ## What they found Women with PMDD had significantly lower serum cortisol levels at +40 through +90 minutes from the time of stress induction compared to controls. ## What it means for you Women with PMDD may not mount a normal stress hormone response to acute stress, which could explain some of their symptom patterns. The study was conducted during the late luteal phase only, and the abstract does not specify how many women were included. +40-90 minutes time window with lower cortisol P = .008 statistical significance ## About the study Original title Blunted Cortisol Response to Acute Psychosocial Stress in Women With Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Authors Hamidovic A, Davis J, Soumare F Journal The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology Year 2024 Study design Case-control study What was tested Trier Social Stress Test Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyae015](https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyae015) Original abstract Background: Despite being considered a stress-related condition, it is not known whether the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is dysfunctional in response to acute psychosocial stress in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). This is problematic because many women with PMDD report that they are not able to control their stress levels, and a blunted cortisol output has been identified in women with related psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety and depression. The present study is a part of the Premenstrual Hormonal and Affective State Evaluation (PHASE) project, and it aimed to characterize the cortisol trajectory in response to an acute psychosocial stress challenge. Methods: Women with PMDD and healthy controls with confirmed ovulatory cycles underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) procedure in the mid-late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, throughout which we collected serum samples of cortisol that we analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Results: The linear mixed model analysis indicated a significant time*diagnosis interaction (P = .008) such that women with PMDD displayed significantly lower serum cortisol levels at +40 through +90 minutes from the time of stress induction. Conclusion: This is the first study to show that women with PMDD have a blunted cortisol response to psychosocial stress. Combined with our earlier finding showing a greater parasympathetic nervous system withdrawal on heart oscillations in PMDD during acute stress, these and other results show that the dysregulated processing of stress in PMDD may be captured using objective study measures. Reproduced under public-domain. ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/) 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, 2003 How do menstrual cycle hormones affect the brain and cause mood disorders like PMDD? Survey study, 2025 Is the PSST a good screening tool for PMS in Bangladesh? Randomised trial, 2024 Does emotion-focused therapy help PMDD symptoms? Survey study, 2022 How common are PMS and PMDD? Are stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems related to them? Survey study, 2022 Do stress and rumination increase with PMS severity? Survey study, 2019 How common is PMDD in teenage girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗