---
title: Is PMS connected to mood disorders like depression, and how should it be studied?
description: This review argues PMS does seem related to major mood (affective) disorders, but says much past research has been flawed, and that tracking symptoms day-by-d
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-syndromes-past-and-future-research-strategies-1985/
---

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- Is PMS connected to mood disorders like depression, and how should it be studied?

Cohort study, 1985

# Is PMS connected to mood disorders like depression, and how should it be studied?

This review argues PMS does seem related to major mood (affective) disorders, but says much past research has been flawed, and that tracking symptoms day-by-day as they happen gives more reliable answers than asking women to recall them later.

 Early or limited evidence

Not a patient study; a review of how PMS research should be designed.

## What they did

This is a discussion/review paper, not a new experiment on patients. It looks at problems in how past PMS research was designed and argues for clearer definitions of PMS and better study methods.

## What they found

The paper found that research tracking symptoms in real time (prospectively) links symptoms to the menstrual cycle better than asking people to remember symptoms afterward (retrospectively). It also found an apparent relationship between PMS and major affective disorders, and noted the importance of separating new premenstrual symptoms from the worsening of symptoms that are present all month.

## What it means for you

This paper gives no treatment advice and reports no patient numbers; it is a call for better-designed research rather than evidence about any specific remedy.

## About the study

Original title Premenstrual syndromes: past and future research strategies Authors Rubinow DR, Hoban C, Roy-Byrne P et al. Journal Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie Year 1985 Study design Cohort study What was tested None tested; this is a methods and research-strategy discussion. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1177/070674378503000703](https://doi.org/10.1177/070674378503000703)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)

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, 2024

What do brain wave patterns show about PMS and PMDD?

Systematic review, 2022

Do mental health disorders get worse during the menstrual cycle?

Study, 2026

Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition?

Survey study, 2026

What is the true rate of PMDD, and does it worsen mental health conditions?

Case-control study, 2025

Should menstrual cycle mood changes be treated as distinct categories or as a spectrum?

Cohort study, 2025

Do women with depression experience worse mood before their period?

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