Psychedelics are opening a brand-new conversation about premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe form of premenstrual distress! In what the authors call the first study of psychedelic use across the menstrual cycle, 16.2% of people with PMDD reported using psychedelics to manage premenstrual mood symptoms. Three women described periods returning after amenorrhea and more regular cycles following classic psychedelics, and more than a thousand microdosers in 59 countries gave reports describing improvements in negative moods, with smaller groups describing alleviation of premenstrual syndromes. Encouraging to see careful research beginning, with questions about hormones and the menstrual cycle now being asked.
Key studies
Study 1. Substance use to manage premenstrual symptoms in 634 people, 167 with PMDD (Nazareth, 2026)
First-ever look at psychedelic use across the menstrual cycle: 5.9% of 634 people used psychedelics for premenstrual mood symptoms, and 16.2% of those with PMDD did!
Researchers ran an online survey of 703 adults, 634 of whom had had a menstrual cycle in the past year, including 167 with PMDD diagnosed by a health care provider through daily symptom tracking. They reported that 5.9% of all participants, and 16.2% of the PMDD group, used psychedelics to manage premenstrual mood symptoms, and that psychedelics were used more often in the luteal (premenstrual) phase than in the follicular phase. The authors describe it as the first study to assess psychedelic use across the menstrual cycle!
“To manage premenstrual mood symptoms, participants most commonly used cannabis (30.0%), alcohol (16.1%), and psychedelics (5.9%)”
Abstract of the published study (text from Europe PMC), key sentence highlighted in yellow. Source: Nazareth M, Paone V, Yaden ME, et al. Cannabis, Psychedelics, and Other Substance Use to Manage Premenstrual Symptoms: A Survey Study. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2026;35(10):994-1003. https://doi.org/10.1177/15409996261459360
Study 2. Classic psychedelics and menstrual changes in 3 women (Gukasyan, 2024)
3 women described periods returning after amenorrhea and more regular cycles following classic psychedelics!
Researchers used social media and word of mouth to find people who had noticed menstrual changes after using psychedelics, then interviewed three women aged 27 to 34 and reviewed the published literature. They reported that the women described periods resuming after amenorrhea, and improved menstrual regularity in a woman with irregular cycles who was later diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
“anecdotal evidence suggests that these compounds may have striking effects on menstrual function in at least a subset of users”
Abstract of the published study (text from Europe PMC), key sentence highlighted in yellow. Source: Gukasyan N, Narayan SK. Menstrual Changes and Reversal of Amenorrhea Induced by Classic Psychedelics: A Case Series. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2024;56(1):50-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2022.2157350
Study 3. Self-reported microdosing in more than 1,000 people (Fadiman, 2019)
More than a thousand people in 59 countries tracked their moods, and reports described improvements in negative moods and alleviation of premenstrual syndromes!
Over 18 months, researchers collected daily mood ratings and written reports from more than a thousand microdosing participants in 59 countries. They reported that participants’ accounts described improvements in negative moods, especially depression, along with increases in positive moods, and that smaller samples described alleviation of symptoms in several conditions, including premenstrual syndromes. The reports also noted increased energy, improved work effectiveness and improved health habits!
“Participant reports suggested that spaced but repeated microdoses were followed by improvements in negative moods, especially depression, and increases in positive moods.”
Abstract of the published study (text from Europe PMC), key sentence highlighted in yellow. Source: Fadiman J, Korb S. Might Microdosing Psychedelics Be Safe and Beneficial? An Initial Exploration. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2019;51(2):118-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2019.1593561
Related reading
- Kuypers KPC, Mason NL, Carlier A, et al. Psychedelics and women's mental health: the effects of female sex hormones on psychedelics' efficacy and tolerability. Mol Psychiatry. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-026-03801-2 — A review of how menstrual-cycle hormones may shape psychedelic effects, concluding that sex hormones are a mechanistically plausible and clinically relevant factor in treatment response.
- Shoar S, Bazinet A, Jairaj C. Exploring Psychedelics for Unmet Needs in Women's Reproductive Health. Psychedelic Med (New Rochelle). 2025;3(2):113-120. https://doi.org/10.1089/psymed.2024.0033 — A short review pointing to opportunities for psychedelics to address symptoms of menstruation, sexual dysfunction, chronic pelvic pain, menopause and postpartum depression.
Related pages on this site
Women's Health · Pregnancy and Postpartum · Microdosing · Depressive Disorders · Brain Imaging Research
This page summarizes published research for education only. It is not medical advice. Any change to a medication remains the decision of that person’s own prescriber.
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