Scientific Awareness of PMDD is not the Problem

Almost daily I hear someone mention how we need to raise awareness of PMDD, so that more studies of this debilitating disorder will be done, and someone can finally unlock the secret of what causes PMDD and how to successfully treat it.

So one day last August, a week before my most recent brain surgery, I was apparently looking for some challenging reading material when I got out of the hospital, (thinking positive, I imagine) so I spent an hour and a half clicking on links and printing out various scientific abstracts and studies I could find on PMDD.

In just that small segment of time, I found nearly 50 studies on PMDD, which broke down as follows:

2013 - 19

2009-2012 - 18

2006 - 2008 -  I already have most of these in my files, so did not print them out again

2001-2005 - 10

I am sure there have been countless more studies done in the past 14 years, but this was a random sampling of those I might not already have read, and I also chose not to print out many that were over 7 years old, as so much information about PMDD has changed since 2007. 

Of the 2001-2005 studies, I printed only those that might be of use in my research.  A list of titles appears below.  And yes, I do intend to read each study listed, and share with you in plain language anything that seems relevant.  But first I want to point out that in the scientific community, the problem is not awareness.  Scientists are well aware of PMDD and for what looks like mixed reasons.   An analysis of what those reasons might be will be the subject of a future post. 

For now I just want to repeat that awareness on a scientific level is not the problem.  Awareness in the medical community—short of misleading advertisements by drug companies—and awareness in our friends and families is.  Hopefully blogs like mine will help to rectify that situation for you and your loved ones. 

In the meantime, here is a list of the studies on PMDD I uncovered in less than two hours of searching.  If you think the list is dry reading, imagine reading the studies themselves :).  But like I said, it keeps my brain sharp. Not to mention I'm a total research geek and love it.

If you wish to read any of these studies yourself, you can Google the name provided.  I typed the titles exactly.   Just retype it yourself, or cut and paste the title into your browser.  These can all be found on the PubMed.gov site, which is part of the U.S.  National Library of Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health.  Many of them are abstracts, but you *can* find the full studies if you look hard enough.  Update: the first comment below tells you exactly how you can get copies of the full studies.

Enjoy!

2013

Comorbid bipolar disorder and PMDD: real patients, unanswered questions

Elevated gray matter volume of the emotional cerebellum in women with PMDD

Allopregnanolone serum concentrations and diurnal cortisol secretion in women with PMDD

Examination of premenstrual symptoms as a risk factor for depression in postpartum women

Luteal serum BDNF and HSP70 levels in women with PMDD

PMS and PMDD among Jordanian women

Circulating insulin and leptin in women with and without PMDD in the menstrual cycle

Abnormalities of dorsolateral prefrontal function in women with PMDD; a multimodal neuroimaging study

Lamotrigine augmentation in PMDD : a case report 

Depressive mood and frontal alpha asymmetry during the luteal phase in PMDD

PMDD and severe premenstrual syndrome in adolescents

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for PMS

Premenstrual disorders and rumination

Anger in women with PMDD: Its relations with PMDD and sociodemographic and clinical variables

Non contraceptive benefits of oral hormonal contraceptives

Premenstrual symptoms and posttraumatic stress disorder in Japanese high school students 9 months 

after the great East-Japan earthquake

Personal history of major depression may put women at risk for premenstrual dysphoric symptomatology

A review of treatment and management modalities for PMDD

Biopsychosocial aspects of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder

2012

Pilot investigation of the circadian plasma melatonin rhythm across the menstrual cycle in a small group of women with PMDD

Bipolar disorder and PMS or PMDD comorbidity: a systemic review

Survey of premenstrual symptom severity and impairment in Korean adolescents; PMDD subthreshold PMDD and PMS

Intercountry assessment of the impact of severe PMDD on work and daily activities

2011

Work stress, PMS and PMDD are there any associations?

Lifetime discrimination associated with greater likelihood of PMDD

Posttraumatic stress disorder and trauma characteristics of PMDD

Reduced Phase-Advance of Plasma Melatonin after bright morning lithe in the luteal, but not follicular menstrual cycle phase in PMDD: An extended study

Exposure to American culture is associated with PMDD among ethnic minority women

Health advantage for black women: patterns in PMDD

2010

Histories of major depression and PMDD: evidence for phenotypic differences

Neuroticism related personality traits are related to symptom severity in patients with PMDD and to the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphism 5HTTPLPR

Predicting response to leuprolide of women with PMDD by daily mood rating dynamics

Estrogen receptor alpha (ESR-1) association with psychological traits in women with PMDD and controls

Increased sensitivity to light-induced melatonin suppression in PMDD

Prefrontal brain asymmetry and PMDD symptomatology

Explorative evaluation of the impact of severe PMDD on work absenteeism and productivity

2009

Safety, efficacy, actions and patient acceptability of (Yaz) contraceptive pills in the treatment of PMDD

2005

Lack of beneficial effects of clonidine in the treatment of PMDD: results of a double blind, randomized study
Histories of sexual abuse are associated with differential effects of clonidine on autonomic function in women wit PMDD

2004

Historic sexual abuse and current thyroid axis profiles in women with PMDD

2003

The prevalence, impairment, impact and burden of PMDD

Biological correlates of abuse in women with PMDD and healthy controls

2002

Prevalence, incidence and stability of PMDD in the community

Prevalence and predictors of PMDD in older premenopausal women. The Harvard Study of Moods and Cycles

2001

Characteristics of women with PMDD who did or did not report a history of depression: a preliminary report from the Harvard Study of Moods and Cycles

Allopregnanolone levels and reactivity to mental stress in PMDD