--- title: Does childhood trauma make premenstrual symptoms worse in women with PMDD? description: Yes, women with PMDD who experienced childhood adversity had stronger mood worsening during the premenstrual phase compared to those without. However, this wa url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/childhood-adversity-predicts-stronger-premenstrual-mood-worsening-stress-2023/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does childhood trauma make premenstrual symptoms worse in women with PMDD? Survey study, 2023 # Does childhood trauma make premenstrual symptoms worse in women with PMDD? Yes, women with PMDD who experienced childhood adversity had stronger mood worsening during the premenstrual phase compared to those without. However, this was a small study with no control group, so we need more research to confirm the findings. Early or limited evidence 52 women with PMDD ## What they did Cross-sectional study with 52 women with PMDD. They answered questions about childhood adversity and recent stressful life events. Over four consecutive days, twice across five months, they reported moods and stress levels during the early cycle (follicular phase) and the week before their period (late luteal phase). They also provided saliva samples to measure cortisol, a stress hormone. ## What they found Women with PMDD showed mood changes across their cycle. Those with higher childhood adversity had larger increases in negative emotions and stress feelings, and bigger drops in positive emotions from early cycle to before their period. In women with higher childhood adversity, cortisol levels were lower during the late luteal phase compared to the follicular phase, but this pattern was not seen in those with lower childhood adversity. ## What it means for you Past childhood trauma may make the mood symptoms of PMDD more severe. The cortisol pattern suggests there may be different biological subtypes of PMDD linked to childhood trauma. Limitation: small sample with no control group, and measurements repeated only twice over five months. 52 women with PMDD 4 days daily mood monitoring periods 5 months gap between two sets of measurements ## About the study Original title Childhood adversity predicts stronger premenstrual mood worsening, stress appraisal and cortisol decrease in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Authors Nayman S, Schricker IF, Reinhard I et al. Journal Frontiers in endocrinology Year 2023 Study design Survey study What was tested None; observational study of childhood adversity effects Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1278531](https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1278531) Original abstract Background: Lifetime traumatic events are prevalent in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and predict stronger premenstrual symptom intensities. Less is known about the unique effects of childhood adversity on PMDD. This study aims to investigate the menstrual cycle related course of mood, stress appraisal and cortisol activity over time and the effects of childhood adversity - by controlling for recent stressful life events - on the cyclicity of these outcomes. Methods: Fifty-two women with PMDD completed questionnaires on childhood adversity and stressful life events during the past 12 months. Momentary negative and positive affect, stress appraisal, and saliva-cortisol were assessed within an Ambulatory Assessment (AA) design over four consecutive days during both the follicular and the late luteal phase. This AA was repeated after five months, resulting in two measurement bursts. Results: Women with PMDD showed expected cycle related variations in mood and stress appraisal, whereby these effects weakened over time. No cortisol cyclicity was identified. Higher childhood adversity was linked to stronger increases in negative affect and stress appraisal, and stronger decreases in positive affect from the follicular toward the late luteal phase. Women with higher childhood adversity exhibited lower cortisol levels during the late luteal phase compared to the follicular phase whereas no such cyclicity was found in women with lower childhood adversity. Conclusion: Childhood adversity appears to show independent deteriorating effects on premenstrual mood worsening and stress appraisal in women with PMDD. The observed cortisol cyclicity in women with higher childhood adversity may point to different neuroendocrine subtypes of PMDD in relation to childhood trauma and requires further systematic research. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[PTSD and trauma](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-ptsd-trauma/) 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 Study, 2026 Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition? Survey study, 2026 What hormonal and psychological factors affect PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2025 Do adverse childhood experiences increase PMS and menstrual symptoms in adulthood? Cohort study, 2025 Do pain sensitivity and negative thinking explain how trauma and stress cause PMS or PMDD? Survey study, 2024 Did COVID-19 stress cause changes in menstrual cycles? Case-control study, 2023 Do emotion regulation strategies help women with PMDD manage mood and stress hormones? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗