---
title: Does having PMDD make a woman more likely to develop depression?
description: Women with PMDD are not inherently more prone to depression than other women, but how severe their PMDD symptoms are correlates with higher depression risk. W
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-effect-of-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-diagnosis-and-severity-on-2023/
---

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- Does having PMDD make a woman more likely to develop depression?

Survey study, 2023

# Does having PMDD make a woman more likely to develop depression?

Women with PMDD are not inherently more prone to depression than other women, but how severe their PMDD symptoms are correlates with higher depression risk. Women with PMDD do tend to have more family history of mental illness.

 Early or limited evidence

32 women with PMDD aged 18-40 and 30 healthy control women

## What they did

Cross-sectional study comparing 32 women with PMDD (aged 18-40) from a psychiatry clinic to 30 healthy women without PMDD. Both groups completed depression sensitivity scales and premenstrual symptom assessments.

## What they found

Depression sensitivity scores were similar between PMDD and healthy women. However, among women with PMDD, greater severity of PMDD symptoms was associated with higher depression susceptibility (correlation 0.460, p<0.01). PMDD women had significantly higher family history of PMDD and mental illness, and higher prior use of psychiatric medications.

## What it means for you

If you have PMDD, your depression risk seems to depend on how severe your PMDD symptoms are rather than on having PMDD alone. Many women with PMDD have a family history of mental illness. The study is limited by its small size and because participants came from a psychiatry clinic rather than the general population.

32

Women with PMDD

30

Healthy controls

0.460

Correlation between PMDD severity and depression

## About the study

Original title The Effect of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Diagnosis and Severity on Depression Sensitivity Authors Akyuz Cim EF, Cim N Journal The Journal of nervous and mental disease Year 2023 Study design Survey study Participants 32 What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.1097/nmd.0000000000001736](https://doi.org/10.1097/nmd.0000000000001736)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)

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## Related studies

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