This study controlled for variables such as history of depression, age, PMS, poor sleep, hot flashes, race, and employment status. These controls allowed the researchers to understand where depressive symptoms could be coming from, while also acknowledging potential reasons for variation in results.

It had been found in previous studies that the risk of major depressive disorder for those assigned female at birth is highest during reproductive years due to the constant hormonal fluctuation; this laid the foundation for their study. Previous studies had found that administration of estrogen for women experiencing perimenopausal depressed seemed to effectively reduce depressive symptoms.