---
title: Can a hormone treatment stop psychosis that comes back with the menstrual cycle?
description: In this one woman, yes - her psychosis stopped coming back each month when she took danazol, a hormone-blocking drug. But this is one person's story, so we ca
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/psychosis-and-the-menstrual-cycle-1983/
---

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- Can a hormone treatment stop psychosis that comes back with the menstrual cycle?

Case report, 1983

# Can a hormone treatment stop psychosis that comes back with the menstrual cycle?

In this one woman, yes - her psychosis stopped coming back each month when she took danazol, a hormone-blocking drug. But this is one person's story, so we can't be sure it would work for others.

 Early or limited evidence

One 26-year-old woman with psychosis after childbirth and a family history of schizophrenia

## What they did

The doctors describe one 26-year-old woman who had a psychotic episode after giving birth. She had a family history of schizophrenia. After that, her psychotic symptoms kept coming back each month, just before her period started. They treated her with danazol, a synthetic steroid that stops ovulation.

## What they found

Before danazol treatment, her psychotic symptoms came back each month, just before her period started. When she took danazol, this monthly pattern was prevented.

## What it means for you

This suggests that hormones related to the menstrual cycle might trigger psychosis in some women, and blocking ovulation might help. The main limit is that this is just one woman's experience - we don't know if it would work for others.

1

woman in the case

26

age in years

## About the study

Original title Psychosis and the menstrual cycle Authors Dennerstein L, Judd F, Davies B Journal The Medical journal of Australia Year 1983 Study design Case report What was tested Danazol (synthetic steroid that blocks ovulation) Read the paper [doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1983.tb136197.x](https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1983.tb136197.x)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[GnRH agonists and ovarian suppression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-gnrh/)[Schizophrenia and psychosis](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-psychosis/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/)

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, 1989

Are mental health conditions linked to the reproductive cycle?

Non-randomised trial, 2014

Does hormone therapy help women with depression linked to periods and menopause?

Systematic review, 2023

What hormonal treatments have been tested for PMDD, menstrual migraine, and catamenial epilepsy?

Review, 2002

What treatments work best for PMS and PMDD?

Review, 2012

Is depression linked to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause?

Review, 2003

Does bipolar disorder affect women differently than men?

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