Reproductive cycle-associated mood symptoms in women with major depression and bipolar disorder.

Background: We sought to determine the prevalence of, and association between, reproductive cycle-associated mood symptoms in women with affective disorders. We hypothesized that symptoms would correlate with each other across a woman's reproductive life span in both major depression (MDD) and bipolar I disorder (BP).

Methods: 2412 women with, MDD or BP were asked standardized questions about mood symptoms prior to menstruation, within a month of childbirth and during perimenopause.