--- title: If a woman has bad symptoms before her period, does she also have more symptoms in early pregnancy? description: Yes, women with worse premenstrual symptoms, especially irritability, also had more symptoms in early pregnancy (weeks 10-12), suggesting that some women may url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-symptoms-are-associated-with-psychological-and-physical-symptoms-in-2013/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - If a woman has bad symptoms before her period, does she also have more symptoms in early pregnancy? Cohort study, 2013 # If a woman has bad symptoms before her period, does she also have more symptoms in early pregnancy? Yes, women with worse premenstrual symptoms, especially irritability, also had more symptoms in early pregnancy (weeks 10-12), suggesting that some women may be sensitive to hormonal changes across reproductive phases. Moderate study design 306 pregnant women who had menstrual periods in the year before pregnancy ## What they did 306 pregnant women were asked to recall how severe their psychological and physical symptoms were during premenstrual phases in the year before pregnancy. These same women then rated the severity of the same symptoms during early pregnancy at weeks 10-12 of gestation. ## What they found Overall premenstrual symptom severity was significantly linked to early pregnancy symptom severity (b = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.3-0.5, p < 0.001). Premenstrual irritability was the strongest predictor of overall early pregnancy symptoms. For individual symptoms, the matching premenstrual symptom was usually the best predictor of that same symptom during pregnancy. ## What it means for you Some women may be particularly sensitive to hormonal changes during different reproductive phases, including before the period and in early pregnancy. Knowing a woman's premenstrual symptoms might help doctors predict and prepare for her symptoms during pregnancy. However, the study relied on women remembering their premenstrual symptoms from up to a year earlier, which may not be fully accurate. 306 pregnant women studied 0.4 association strength (95% CI: 0.3-0.5) 10-12 weeks of pregnancy assessed ## About the study Original title Premenstrual symptoms are associated with psychological and physical symptoms in early pregnancy Authors Winkel S, Einsle F, Wittchen HU et al. Journal Archives of women's mental health Year 2013 Study design Cohort study Participants 306 What was tested None (prospective observational study) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s00737-012-0322-y](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-012-0322-y) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Reproductive hormone sensitivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-hormone-sensitivity/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)[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 Systematic review, 2026 Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle? Systematic review, 2021 Are there hormone changes that could explain PMDD or depression in women? Survey study, 2026 Does a history of mood problems with your period predict depression during menopause? Review, 2016 How do reproductive hormones affect mood and behavior in women? Review, 2012 Is depression linked to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause? Randomised trial, 1995 Do vaginal progesterone suppositories relieve PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗