Case-control study, 2016
Is cortisol dysregulation a cause of PMS or PMDD?
No. Overall, very little evidence showed that women with and without PMS/PMDD have systematic differences in cortisol levels or how they respond to stress. Researchers recommend more rigorous studies before drawing final conclusions.
What they did
A systematic review examined 38 original research articles testing whether cortisol is linked to PMS/PMDD. The researchers looked at three types of studies: correlational studies, environmental-challenge studies, and pharmacological-challenge studies.
What they found
Overall, there was very little evidence that women with and without PMS/PMDD show systematic differences in cortisol levels or cortisol response to challenges. Differences in study methods (sample size, types of symptoms used for diagnosis, or type of cortisol measure) did not explain why some studies found effects and others did not.
What it means for you
Cortisol dysregulation is unlikely to be the cause of PMS/PMDD. However, the researchers caution against fully accepting these null findings and recommend more rigorous research with specific symptom assessment and multiple cortisol measurements before drawing final conclusions.
38
studies reviewed
About the study
- Original title
- A lack of consistent evidence for cortisol dysregulation in premenstrual syndrome/premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Authors
- Kiesner J, Granger DA
- Journal
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Year
- 2016
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 38
- What was tested
- None - systematic review
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.12.009
Topics
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