How many women have PMDD? No one really knows

Estimates on PMDD prevalence vary significantly — from 1.2 percent to 12 percent. The range I often come across is 3 - 8 percent, but I can’t find the original academic source for this. A 2024 meta-analysis of PMDD prevalence across countries (44 studies with 48 independent samples, 50,659 participants) found that 1.6 percent of the population that gets their period has PMDD. But the study did not count people with PME or whose PMDD was being treated effectively. 

1.6 percent of the menstruating population in the US equates to roughly 2 million Americans. This is likely an underestimation, as the authors admit, because a lot of women with PMDD drop out of studies and/or don’t do the (admittedly onerous) work of recording their symptoms over an extended period of time. 

The study was unique in that it limited its analysis to studies that adhered to the diagnostic requisites laid out by the DSM: 5 or more symptoms, with at least one disturbing your ability to function in social, work, or other situations, occurring in at least 2 cycles, and stopping during your period. Out of the hundreds of studies that mentioned PMDD, only 44 met this test. In other words, there are only 44 statistically valuable studies on PMDD out there. This points to the need for more research (to put it mildly). 

READ THE STUDY: Reilly et al “The prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Systematic review and meta-analysis” Journal of Affective Disorders Volume 349, 15 March 2024, Pages 534-540