Associations between premenstrual syndrome and postpartum depression: A systematic literature review

Overlapping symptoms between premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and postpartum depression (PPD) suggest that these disorders may share a common etiology and pathology. Moreover, PMS is a risk factor for the development of PPD. This review aims to synthesize the evidence regarding associations between PMS and PPD. Studies were systematically reviewed through identification in PubMed, ISI web of knowledge, PsycINFO and JSTOR databases. A total of 16 studies met inclusion criteria. Three studies revealed an initial significant association between both variables, but it did not remain significant after the inclusion of confounders (e.g. personality, socio-demographic factors) into the analyses. Eleven papers found a positive association between PMS and PPD beyond the effects of biopsychosocial confounders (p < .05). Finally, two studies did not find any significant association between both variables. This review demonstrated that there is a positive association - potentially a mechanism - between PMS and PPD, which may depend on specific confounders.