Nosographic considerations on obsessive-compulsive disorder occurring exclusively during the menstrual phase

The relationship between the menstrual cycle and mood disturbances has been described in the literature and is linked to changes in the secretion of sex hormones. Rare studies have reported the exacerbation of obsessions during menstruation, while no case reports the onset of premenstrual Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Nosographically, obsessive symptoms are not part of premenstrual syndrome, and no specification of the menstrual cycle for obsessive disorders was mentioned in DSM 5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). We report a 39-year-old patient followed for panic disorder since adolescence, and who currently presents for obsessive symptoms that meet the diagnostic criteria for an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and which have the particularity of occurring exclusively during menstruation. Our case emphasizes the importance of establishing a new nosographic framework that takes into account the development of obsessive-compulsive symptoms related to the menstrual cycle.