Antidepressants: Risks to Your Menstrual Cycle?

Last Updated on September 19, 2026 by Carol Gillette

Alternative to Meds Editorial Team
Medically Reviewed by ATMC Clinical Review Team

Which antidepressants can cause risks to your menstrual cycle?

Virtually ALL antidepressant medications can cause changes to the menstrual cycle. While more studies are called for, we do know that antidepressants affect hormones. Hormones regulate the menses (along with thousands of other functions in the human body). So there appears to be a link which needs further inspection for a more complete understanding.

Antidepressants include the SSRIs, SNRIs, MOAIs, tricyclics, and others. Some have been reported on more frequently, perhaps because some drugs, such as the SSRIs, are more frequently prescribed than others to both women and men. Below is a list of antidepressants that are frequently prescribed, and we’ll discuss concerns when prescribed to women due to how they can change your menstrual cycle in negative ways.

Changes to the Menstrual Cycle Caused by Psychotropic Drugs

Studies on this subject are sparse, but there are studies which demonstrate that Prozac (SSRI), clomipramine (a tricyclic), venlafaxine (SNRI), escitalopram (SSRI), and bupropion (NDRI are all known to cause changes to a woman’s menstrual cycle.^2-4,13,15

Changes that psychotropic drugs can cause to a woman’s menstrual cycle include:

• Skipped periods
• Heavier than usual periods
• Longer periods
• Shorter periods
• Variations in drug concentration can occur before, during and after the menstruation cycle
• Variations in hormone concentration can occur before, during, and after menses

Another area of concern is the drug-drug interactions that can occur when a woman is taking hormonal contraceptives at the same time as antidepressants. While not specifically related to premenstrual disorder, it is a common scenario. And of importance, it should be noted that taking an SSRI while also taking contraceptives can increase or decrease drug concentration, and this may cause safety issues and disturbing fluctuations in symptoms.⁷

What is “Luteal Phase” Prescribing?

Luteal refers to the 12-14 days before the onset of menstruation. During this time, the body increases its secretion of progesterone. Progesterone is a hormone that prepares the body for potential pregnancy. Conception can occur after the luteal phase.

The practice of prescribing SSRI antidepressants during the luteal phase has become more common. However, it remains controversial for several reasons. First, it is not known exactly how prescribing 2 weeks of an SSRI can affect reproductive issues such as menstruation, fertility, and cardiovascular birth defects.^{2,4,10,13,14,20,21}

And there is an additional concern with luteal prescribing — the problems associated with short-term SSRI withdrawal, particularly because in Luteal phase prescribing, the SSRI is abruptly stopped after the onset of menstruation begins. Abruptly stopping antidepressants is one of the most written about concerns related to the prescribing and deprescribing of antidepressants.²²

What is PMS, and Who coined the Term?

PMS means premenstrual syndrome.^1,5,6,12,16 In the medical literature, the condition of PMS refers to a set of symptoms that arise in the 12-14 day period before the beginning of the menstruation cycle. These symptoms are commonly described as headache, bloating, irritability, fatigue, pain in the breasts, depression and anxiety.

The term was first used in the medical literature in the 1950s. A female doctor named Katherina Dalton in the UK was interested in her and her patients’ premenstrual symptoms (previously called premenstrual tension) and was looking for a solution. She coined the term PMS to describe the cluster of symptoms described above.¹⁷

Various hormone treatments were used such as injecting progesterone, or oral synthetic progesterone, and even male hormone estrogen was used. Other methods were dehydration therapy, using diuretics to counteract water retention. Though the study group was small (84 patients) the results of these treatments were lackluster and soon abandoned.

What she did find helpful was vitamin therapy, which is discussed further below. It is perhaps most important to note that the physician who coined the term PMS never encouraged the use of antidepressants to help or treat the condition.

PMDD (premenstrual dysphoria disorder) and the Pharma Industry

PMDD is described as a more intense cluster of PMS symptoms. This term found its way into the DSM in 2013 and was immediately associated with the use of antidepressants to treat it. That is when the pharmaceutical industry became interested in this aspect of women’s health.¹⁸

There was considerable controversy at this new juncture in women’s medicine, but the trend has continued to be used in mainstream medicine today. PMDD placed premenstrual symptoms into a category of mental illness, and SSRIs become the “go-to” treatment strategy for it.

Vitamins — Treatment Without Risks to Your Menstrual Cycle

As Dr. Dalton found in her 1950s research, it was vitamin therapy that actually relieved the symptoms of premenstrual discomfort. In particular, she found vitamin B and vitamin A to be effective, especially where patients were found to be deficient in these micronutrients.

Dr. Dalton’s contemporaries were experimenting with other treatments including radiating the ovaries to basically kill them, or removing them altogether with surgery.

Vitamin therapy proved useful, and didn’t harm the patient or the reproductive system.

Other Alternative Treatments for Menstrual Problems

Sample of herbal and plant-based remedies found effective for menstrual difficulties can include:

• Ginger
• Common rue
• Angelica sinensis
• Fennel
• Catharanthus roseus
• Asteraceae
• Lamiaceae
• Apiaceae
• Fabaceae
• Zingiberaceae

ATMC Programs Use Safe, Non-pharmacologic Treatments

Clients coming to ATMC for inpatient treatment are often pleasantly surprised at the wealth of knowledge of our care staff about safe, non-pharmacologic treatments that won’t adversely affect your menstrual cycle. Clients come to us with a wide range of difficulties and conditions that may have been troubling the client for a very long time. We look for root causes, whether that means a nutritional, hormonal, or other kind of overhaul. Lab-testing is an extremely important tool we use in developing each client’s unique program.

Where antidepressant withdrawal is being considered, there are alternative treatments we can provide that may be a better fit for your overall health and mental health goals. If antidepressant medication for PMS or PMDD was unsatisfactory, there are better, safer solutions for you.

We are pleased to share all of this knowledge with our clients so that they can take advantage of non-toxic treatments, nutritional therapy, and comfort therapies that can be life-changing. Many learn new practices that can be taken with them after completing their stay with us. Please contact us directly if you or a loved one is in need of non-pharmacological treatments for chronic conditions like PMS, PMDD, or others, that could be addressed within a holistic, evidence-based, effective program.

for Help with Antidepressant Risks to Your Menstrual Cycle

Sources:

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Originally Published November 27, 2025 by Diane Ridaeus

This content has been reviewed and approved by:

ATMC Clinical Review Team

The ATMC Clinical Review Team includes licensed physicians and experienced healthcare professionals dedicated to ensuring the accuracy, quality, and integrity of our medical content. The team reviews articles for clinical accuracy, evidence-based guidance, and relevance while supporting Alternative to Meds Center’s whole-person approach to mental health, recovery, and long-term wellness.

Diane Ridaeus

Diane is an avid supporter and researcher of natural mental health strategies. Diane received her medical writing and science communication certification through Stanford University and has published over 3 million words on the topics of holistic health, addiction, recovery, and alternative medicine. She has proudly worked with the Alternative to Meds Center since its inception and is grateful for the opportunity to help the founding members develop this world-class center that has helped so many thousands regain natural mental health.