World Health Organization Validates Premenstrual Disorder as a Global Health Concern

BOSTON, MA, 14 June 2019 --  In a landmark decision, the World Health Organization (WHO) has added Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Eleventh Revision (ICD-11), validating PMDD as a medical diagnosis worldwide and confirming the growing scientific and medical understanding of this little known, debilitating and life-threatening condition.

This groundbreaking move gives PMDD its own ICD code (GA34.41), which will help drive diagnosis, treatment, reimbursement, and research. A staggering 60 million people globally, 1 in 20 people with menstrual cycles, suffer from PMDD, caused by an increased sensitivity to reproductive hormones during the luteal phase between ovulation and menstruation. This sensitivity leads to alterations in the brain chemicals and pathways that control mood and well-being. Symptoms include severe depression, mood swings, irritability or anxiety, and drastically increases the risk of suicidal behaviors. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of PMDD are therefore important not only for reducing suffering but also for saving lives.

“This decision is a game changer for PMDD,” according to Sandi MacDonald, Board President of the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders (IAPMD).  “The WHO has officially classified PMDD as a true and diagnosable disorder, and differentiated it from the wide collection of premenstrual symptoms commonly known as PMS.”

Historically, PMDD has been studied and treated by both (1) nervous system (brain) experts (neuroscientists and psychiatrists) and (2) reproductive system experts (reproductive endocrinologists, obstetrician-gynecologists). This multi-specialty approach has been reinforced by PMDD’s ICD-11 cross-listing in multiple chapters; the chapter on mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as the chapter on diseases of the genitourinary system (system of the reproductive organs and the urinary system). This will foster more effective collaboration between these specialties.

“Given that evidence-based treatment algorithms for PMDD require a broad set of clinical expertise and skills, it is becoming increasingly clear that multiple providers with different specialties are required to offer truly comprehensive care for PMDD,” according to Tory Eisenlohr-Moul, PhD, IAPMD Clinical Advisory Board Chair and Associate Director of Translational Research in Women’s Mental Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“The IAPMD recommends that clinicians build collaborative, multidisciplinary treatment teams for PMDD patients in order to facilitate patient access to the full range of evidence-based treatments. It is our hope that the inclusion of PMDD in ICD-11 will facilitate greater collaboration among treatment providers of differing specialties,” added Eisenlohr-Moul.

The ICD is published by the WHO and used worldwide for morbidity and mortality statistics, reimbursement systems, and automated decision support in health care. In May 2019, member states agreed to adopt the ICD-11, to come into effect on 1 January 2022. The system is designed to promote international comparability in the collection, processing, classification, and presentation of these statistics. Like the analogous DSM (which is limited to psychiatric disorders and almost exclusive to the United States), the ICD provides a common language that allows health professionals to compare and share health information across the globe.

The International Association for Premenstrual Disorders (IAPMD) is the leading voluntary health organization which aspires to create a world where people with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and Premenstrual Exacerbation (PME) can survive and thrive. Our mission is to inspire hope and end suffering in those affected by Premenstrual Disorders (PMDs) through peer support, education, research, and advocacy. What began as a collective of fellow suffers in 2013 has grown into a global movement accelerating the progress being made around the world.