Cohort study, 2024
Is PMS before pregnancy linked to postpartum depression?
Yes. Women with PMS symptoms before pregnancy were more likely to develop postpartum depression at day 7 to 10 after birth, 6 weeks postpartum, and 6 months postpartum. This association was especially strong in women who had been pregnant multiple times.
What they did
Cohort study following 296 women from pregnancy through postpartum (260 completed the full study). Women answered questionnaires about their PMS symptoms before pregnancy and depression symptoms at three timepoints: day 7-10 after birth, 6 weeks postpartum, and 6 months postpartum using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale.
What they found
7.1% of women had PMS symptoms before pregnancy and 2.7% had severe PMDD. There was a direct correlation between previous PMS and postpartum depression at all three timepoints. This association remained statistically significant in women who had multiple pregnancies.
What it means for you
Women with a history of PMS may have higher risk of postpartum depression, which is important for doctors to know for early screening and prevention. However, the study looked back at past PMS symptoms, so we cannot prove that PMS actually causes postpartum depression.
296
women initially enrolled
7.1%
had PMS before pregnancy
2.7%
had severe PMDD
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome as a risk factor for postpartum depression
- Authors
- A. Е. Sidorov, Tamara Denisova, Nadezhda V. Zhuravleva
- Journal
- Obstetrics Gynecology and Reproduction
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 296
- What was tested
- None (observational study)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.17749/2313-7347/ob.gyn.rep.2024.506
Topics
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Can depression screening after birth predict who will develop PMS?
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