---
title: How do hormone changes across the menstrual cycle affect mood and behavior in psychiatric disorders?
description: This review proposes that fluctuations in estradiol and progesterone trigger different patterns of mood and behavior problems at different cycle phases throug
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/dimensional-affective-sensitivity-to-hormones-across-the-menstrual-cycle-dash-mc-2025/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- How do hormone changes across the menstrual cycle affect mood and behavior in psychiatric disorders?

Review, 2025

# How do hormone changes across the menstrual cycle affect mood and behavior in psychiatric disorders?

This review proposes that fluctuations in estradiol and progesterone trigger different patterns of mood and behavior problems at different cycle phases through different biological mechanisms. Understanding individual differences in hormone sensitivity could help develop more precise treatments.

 Moderate study design

Various populations from prospective and experimental studies examining menstrual cycle effects on psychiatric symptoms

## What they did

This is a narrative review examining prospective and experimental evidence to propose a new framework called DASH-MC that explains how ovarian steroid hormones influence psychiatric symptoms across the menstrual cycle.

## What they found

The review identifies three main patterns: (1) irritability and hyperarousal from sensitivity to estradiol or progesterone surges during the luteal phase; (2) low mood and cognitive problems from sensitivity to low or falling estradiol around menstruation; and (3) risky reward-seeking from sensitivity to estradiol surges around ovulation. While PMDD shows these patterns most clearly, similar cyclical symptoms occur in larger proportions of people with ongoing psychiatric disorders.

## What it means for you

Hormone sensitivity may be important across many psychiatric disorders, not just menstrual disorders, and individual differences in how people respond to hormones matter. This framework could lead to more personalized treatment based on a person's specific hormone sensitivity pattern. This is a proposed framework not yet proven, so it is exploratory.

3

main patterns of hormone sensitivity identified

## About the study

Original title Dimensional Affective Sensitivity to Hormones across the Menstrual Cycle (DASH-MC): A transdiagnostic framework for ovarian steroid influences on psychopathology Authors Peters JR, Schmalenberger KM, Eng AG et al. Journal Molecular psychiatry Year 2025 Study design Review What was tested None; conceptual review Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02693-4](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02693-4)

## Topics

[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Reproductive hormone sensitivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-hormone-sensitivity/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Neurosteroids (allopregnanolone)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-neurosteroids/)

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?

Randomised trial, 2021

Does blocking progesterone receptors help women with PMDD control anger and aggression?

Randomised trial, 2020

Do steroid metabolites differ between women with PMDD and those without?

Randomised trial, 2017

Do hormones process differently in women with PMDD?

Review, 2015

Does a progesterone metabolite called allopregnanolone cause mood problems in PMDD?

Case report, 2025

Can whey protein help premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗