Research / PMDD

Our research

PMDD

PMDD is frequently conflated with ordinary PMS. The clinical distinction is specific, and it's what the app's own check-in timing is built around.

What this means for tracking: the gap between provisional and confirmed diagnosis is exactly why two-cycle tracking matters, not a formality. Little Greenhouse’s own PMDD check-in distinguishes a single flagged cycle from a confirmed pattern across two, matching how the condition is actually meant to be diagnosed.

Luteal-phase specificity

What separates PMDD from general PMS, per DSM-5 criteria, is that symptoms are specific to the luteal phase and resolve at or shortly after menses begins — which is how the app's own PMDD-relevant check-ins are timed.

How common PMDD actually is

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis pooling 50,659 participants across 44 studies found PMDD affects about 1.6–3.2% of menstruating people when diagnosis is confirmed by two full cycles of daily tracking — versus 7.7% when diagnosis relies on a single retrospective questionnaire. Retrospective self-report alone roughly doubles the apparent rate.

Common questions

Is PMDD just severe PMS?

Clinically, no — the DSM-5 criteria require symptoms to be confined to the luteal phase and to resolve with menses, with a severity that meaningfully disrupts daily functioning, not just intensity of ordinary PMS symptoms.

References
  1. DSM-5 criteria for PMDD, summarized via American Academy of Family Physicians
  2. ACOG Guideline: Management of PMS and PMDD, summarized via The ObG Project
  3. Reilly TJ, Patel S, Unachukwu IC, et al. The prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders 349 (2024) 534–540. doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.066

See how PMDD tracking actually works in the app

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