Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Background

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) are common conditions that significantly impact a woman’s life. Understanding how premenstrual symptoms change across a woman’s lifespan is crucial for providing appropriate support and management. Women with premenstrual disorders have sensitivity to mood changes with fluctuations in hormones, and they are at higher risk for depression during periods of hormonal flux, such as postpartum. Consequently, their premenstrual symptoms may be affected by changes in hormonal patterns across life, such as during reproductive transitions. This narrative review aims to summarize the existing literature on how premenstrual symptoms and disorders change with age and across reproductive stages.

Methods

A comprehensive search of the PubMed database was conducted to identify relevant articles, and findings from studies were synthesized.

Results

Individual premenstrual symptoms are affected by the aging process differently. Women with premenstrual symptoms are particularly vulnerable during the menopausal transition.

Conclusions

The authors discuss the methodological factors contributing to inconsistencies between studies and the research study design needed to further understand the course of premenstrual symptoms with time and reproductive stage. Understanding premenstrual symptom course is essential for clinical management and for lessening the burden of illness for women with premenstrual disorders.

Keywords

premenstrual syndrome premenstrual dysphoric disorder premenstrual symptoms reproductive depression postpartum menopause

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Thakrar

Bhukar

Oswal

. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: prevalence, quality of life, and disability due to illness among medical and paramedical students. J Affect Disord Rep. 2021;4:100112.

Wittchen

Becker

Lieb

Krause

. Prevalence, incidence, and stability of premenstrual dysphoric disorder in the community. Psychol Med. 2002;32(1):119-132.

Tschudin

Bertea

Zemp

. Prevalence and predictors of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in a population-based sample. Arch Wom Ment Health. 2010;13:485-494.

Robinson

Ismail

. Clinical epidemiology of premenstrual disorder: informing optimized patient outcomes. Int J Wom Health. 2015;7:811-818.

Hofmeister

Bodden

. Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Am Fam Physician. 2016;94(3):236-240.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists . Guidelines for Women’s Health Care: A Resource Manual. 4th ed.; 2014:607-613.

American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition, text revision (DSM-V-TR); 2022.

Kuehner

Nayman

. Premenstrual exacerbations of mood disorders: findings and knowledge gaps. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2021;23:78.

Dennerstein

Lehert

Keung

Pal

Choi

. A population-based survey of Asian women’s experience of premenstrual symptoms. Menopause Int. 2010;16(4):139-145.

10.

Silva

Gigante

Carret

Fassa

. Population study of premenstrual syndrome. Rev Saude Publica. 2006;40:47-56.

11.

Lee

Rittenhouse

. Prevalence of perimenstrual symptoms in employed women. Women Health. 1991;17(3):17-32.

12.

Freeman

Rickels

Schweizer

Ting

. Relationships between age and symptom severity among women seeking medical treatment for premenstrual symptoms. Psychol Med. 1995;25(2):309-315.

13.

Cleckner-Smith

Doughty

Grossman

. Premenstrual symptoms: prevalence and severity in an adolescent sample. J Adolesc Health. 1998;22(5):403-408.

14.

Merikangas

Foeldenyi

Angst

. The Zurich study: XIX. Patterns of menstrual disturbances in the community: results of the Zurich Cohort Study. Eur Arch Psychiatr Clin Neurosci. 1993;243:23-32.

15.

Kuan

Carter

Ott

. Premenstrual complaints before and after 40 years of age. Can J Psychiatr. 2004;49(3):215.

16.

Warner

Bancroft

. Factors related to self-reporting of the pre-menstrual syndrome. Br J Psychiatry. 1990;157(2):249-260.

17.

Potter

Bouyer

Trussell

Moreau

. Premenstrual syndrome prevalence and fluctuation over time: results from a French population-based survey. J Wom Health. 2009;18(1):31-39.

18.

Dennerstein

Lehert

Heinemann

. Global epidemiological study of variation of premenstrual symptoms with age and sociodemographic factors. Menopause Int. 2011;17(3):96-101.

19.

Hantsoo

Rangaswamy

Voegtline

Salimgaraev

Zhaunova

Payne

. Premenstrual symptoms across the lifespan in an international sample: data from a mobile application. Arch Wom Ment Health. 2022;25(5):903-910.

20.

Flug

Largo

Prader

. Symptoms related to menstruation in adolescent Swiss girls: a longitudinal study. Ann Hum Biol. 1985;12(2):161-168.

21.

Winkel

Einsle

Wittchen

Martini

. Premenstrual symptoms are associated with psychological and physical symptoms in early pregnancy. Arch Wom Ment Health. 2013;16:109-115.

22.

Mitchell

Woods

. Menstrual cycle phase, menopausal transition stage, self-reports of premenstrual syndrome, and symptom severity: observations from the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study. Menopause. 2022;29(11):1269-1278.

23.

Freeman

Sammel

Rinaudo

Sheng

. Premenstrual syndrome as a predictor of menopausal symptoms. Obstet Gynecol. 2004;103(5 Part 1):960-966.

24.

Freeman

Sammel

Lin

Gracia

Kapoor

. Symptoms in the menopausal transition: hormone and behavioral correlates. Obstet Gynecol. 2008;111(1):127-136.

25.

Morse

Dudley

Guthrie

Dennerstein

. Relationships between premenstrual complaints and perimenopausal experiences. J Psychosom Obstet Gynecol. 1998;19(4):182-191.

26.

Stone

Mazmanian

Oinonen

Sharma

. Past reproductive events as predictors of physical symptom severity during the menopausal transition. Menopause. 2013;20(8):831-839.

27.

Bloch

Rotenberg

Koren

Klein

. Risk factors associated with the development of postpartum mood disorders. J Affect Disord. 2005;88(1):9-18.

28.

Susser

. Clinical implications of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone in reproductive depression. Harv Rev Psychiatr. 2023;31(1):37-45.

29.

Halbreich

Endicott

. Methodological issues in studies of premenstrual changes. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1985;10(1):15-32.

30.

Schmidt

Nieman

Danaceau

Adams

Rubinow

. Differential behavioral effects of gonadal steroids in women with and in those without premenstrual syndrome. N Engl J Med. 1998;338(4):209-216.

31.

Backstrom

Ekberg

Hirschbert

, et al. A randomized, double-blind study on efficacy and safety of sepranolone in premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2021;133:105426.

32.

Comasco

Kopp Kallner

Bixo

, et al. Ulipristal acetate for treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial. Am J Psychiatr. 2021;178(3):256-265.

33.

Burke

Susser

Hermann

. GABA-A dysregulation as an explanatory model for late-onset postpartum depression associated with weaning and resumption of menstruation. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2019;22:55-63.

34.

Sander

Gordon

. Premenstrual mood symptoms in the perimenopause. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2021;23:73-78.

Premenstrual Symptoms Across a Woman’s Lifespan: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References