--- title: Is childhood trauma related to premenstrual disorders? | Niyora description: Yes. The study found a link between childhood trauma and premenstrual symptoms, especially in women with moderate-severe PMS or PMDD. Women with premenstrual url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-link-between-childhood-traumatic-events-and-the-continuum-of-premenstrual-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is childhood trauma related to premenstrual disorders? Cohort study, 2024 # Is childhood trauma related to premenstrual disorders? Yes. The study found a link between childhood trauma and premenstrual symptoms, especially in women with moderate-severe PMS or PMDD. Women with premenstrual worsening of other mental health problems also reported more childhood trauma than healthy women. Moderate study design 391 women with and without premenstrual disorders ## What they did 391 women completed questionnaires about childhood trauma and premenstrual symptoms. They were divided into four groups based on their PMS severity and psychiatric status: those with moderate-severe PMS or PMDD, those with premenstrual worsening of other mental illness, those with mental illness but no PMS, and those with neither. ## What they found Women with premenstrual worsening of other mental illness and women with mental illness but no PMS reported more childhood trauma than healthy women. There was a link between childhood trauma and premenstrual symptom severity across all groups. In women with moderate-severe PMS or PMDD, this link was stronger. ## What it means for you Childhood trauma appears related to premenstrual problems. However, the study cannot prove trauma causes PMS, only that they are linked. More research is needed to understand whether trauma contributes to these problems or whether PMS worsens after trauma. 391 women studied 0.18 correlation between trauma and PMS (all groups) 0.42 correlation between trauma and PMS (PMS/PMDD group) ## About the study Original title The link between childhood traumatic events and the continuum of premenstrual disorders Authors Standeven LR, Bajaj M, McEvoy K et al. Journal Frontiers in psychiatry Year 2024 Study design Cohort study Participants 391 What was tested None (observational study) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1443352](https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1443352) Original abstract Background: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), collectively known as Premenstrual Disorders (PMDs), cause significant distress and functional impairment, and premenstrual exacerbation (PME) affects a large proportion of women with psychiatric diagnoses. Childhood trauma is one factor that may contribute to PMD/PME risk. This study examines the relationship between childhood trauma and PMDs, PME, and non-PMD psychiatric illness. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort. Participants completed self-assessments on childhood trauma using the Childhood Traumatic Event Scale (CTE-S) and on premenstrual symptoms using the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST). Psychiatric diagnoses were assessed through structured clinical interviews. Participants were divided into four groups based on their PSST scores and psychiatric illness status: (1) Premenstrual Disorders (PMDs; moderate to severe PMS and PMDD), (2) PME, (3) psychiatric controls (PC; individuals with psychiatric illness but no significant premenstrual symptoms), and (4) healthy controls (HC; individuals with no psychiatric illness and no significant premenstrual symptoms). Statistical analyses, including ANOVA, Tukey's HSD test, Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression, were conducted to examine differences among the groups. Results: Data from 391 participants were analyzed. Participants with PME and PC reported a higher quantity and severity of childhood traumatic events compared to HCs (p <.05). There was a weak but significant correlation between childhood trauma and premenstrual symptom burden across all groups (R = .18, p <.001). Within-group analysis revealed moderate correlations between childhood trauma and premenstrual symptoms driven by the PMD group (R = .42, p = .01). Conclusions: The findings underscore the impact of childhood traumatic events on mental health and premenstrual symptoms and highlight the need for additional research to explore the underlying mechanisms linking childhood trauma to the continuum of premenstrual disorders, to improve the efficacy of trauma-focused interventions for affected individuals. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[PTSD and trauma](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-ptsd-trauma/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/) 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 Study, 2026 Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition? Randomised trial, 2022 Do hormone pills prevent suicidal thoughts from getting worse around menstruation? Cohort study, 2013 Do depression, irritability, and anxiety get worse before the period in women with PMDD? Case-control study, 2012 Do women with PMDD have working memory problems linked to concentration and irritability? Survey study, 2026 Do girls who experienced childhood abuse or neglect have higher PMDD symptoms? Survey study, 2024 Is mental health different in premenstrual exacerbation versus core premenstrual disorder? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗