---
title: Do menstrual cycle hormones affect symptoms in women with borderline personality disorder?
description: This review found that menstrual cycle hormones do appear to affect symptoms in borderline personality disorder, with most symptoms worsening around menstruat
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/ovarian-hormones-as-a-source-of-fluctuating-biological-vulnerability-in-2019/
---

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- Do menstrual cycle hormones affect symptoms in women with borderline personality disorder?

Review, 2019

# Do menstrual cycle hormones affect symptoms in women with borderline personality disorder?

This review found that menstrual cycle hormones do appear to affect symptoms in borderline personality disorder, with most symptoms worsening around menstruation and improving around ovulation. However, more research is needed to understand how and develop treatments.

 Moderate study design

Women in both clinical samples with borderline personality disorder and non-clinical samples

## What they did

Literature review examining studies on how the menstrual cycle affects borderline personality disorder symptoms in both clinical and non-clinical samples.

## What they found

Most borderline personality disorder symptoms showed patterns of worsening around menstruation. Symptoms were typically lowest around ovulation, except for proactive aggression and some impulsive behaviors. Preliminary evidence suggests ovarian hormones may exert strong effects on symptom expression.

## What it means for you

The menstrual cycle appears to influence borderline personality disorder symptoms, but researchers still don't fully understand the mechanisms or how to develop targeted treatments. This is a review of existing studies, so findings depend on the quality of those studies.

## About the study

Original title Ovarian Hormones as a Source of Fluctuating Biological Vulnerability in Borderline Personality Disorder Authors Peters JR, Eisenlohr-Moul TA Journal Current psychiatry reports Year 2019 Study design Review What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1096-y](https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1096-y)

## Topics

[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Borderline personality disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-bpd/)

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