--- title: Does depression affect when women enter menopause? | Niyora description: Women with a history of depression may enter menopause earlier than others. Those with more severe depression who also took antidepressants had nearly 3 times url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/depression-and-its-influence-on-reproductive-endocrine-and-menstrual-cycle-2003/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does depression affect when women enter menopause? Cohort study, 2003 # Does depression affect when women enter menopause? Women with a history of depression may enter menopause earlier than others. Those with more severe depression who also took antidepressants had nearly 3 times the risk of early menopause, though this is based on observation rather than a controlled test. Moderate study design 644 women without depression and 332 with depression, ages 36 to 45 ## What they did A 36-month follow-up study. Researchers interviewed 644 women without depression and 332 with depression (ages 36 to 45) every 6 months and took blood samples to track when they entered perimenopause. ## What they found Women with depression had 1.2 times the rate of perimenopause. Those with more depressive symptoms had twice the risk. Those with worse symptoms who also used antidepressants had 2.7 times the risk of earlier perimenopause. Depressed women also had higher FSH and LH levels and lower estradiol levels. ## What it means for you A history of depression may be linked to earlier decline in ovarian function. But this was an observational study, so we cannot be sure depression causes early menopause. The findings are most uncertain for the 1.2 times estimate (confidence interval 0.9 to 1.6). 1.2 Times higher perimenopause rate in women with depression (95% CI 0.9-1.6) 2 Times higher risk of perimenopause with severe depression 2.7 Times higher risk with severe depression and antidepressant use (95% CI 1.5-4.8) ## About the study Original title Depression and its influence on reproductive endocrine and menstrual cycle markers associated with perimenopause: the Harvard Study of Moods and Cycles Authors Harlow BL, Wise LA, Otto MW et al. Journal Archives of general psychiatry Year 2003 Study design Cohort study Participants 644 What was tested None (observational study comparing women with and without depression) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.60.1.29](https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.60.1.29) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)[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, 2012 Is depression linked to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause? Randomised trial, 2001 Do changing reproductive hormones disrupt the body's internal clock and cause mood disorders? Review, 2011 Can estrogen hormones treat depression linked to the menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2009 Can estrogen therapy help depression that worsens during hormonal cycle changes? Case-control study, 2007 Are there genes that increase the risk of PMDD? Survey study, 2002 What treatments work for depression linked to the menstrual cycle and PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗