Case-control study, 2017
Is the pattern of progesterone drop related to developing premenstrual symptoms?
Yes. How fast progesterone falls appears linked to symptoms. Women with symptoms had stable progesterone that dropped sharply, while symptom-free women had a gradual decline.
What they did
Researchers studied 46 healthy Brazilian women aged 18-39 (mean 26.5±6.7 years). They measured daily saliva progesterone levels during the last 10 days of the luteal phase in women who developed premenstrual distress symptoms and those who did not.
What they found
In women with premenstrual symptoms, progesterone remained stable during most of the mid-late luteal phase, then declined sharply in the last 3 days before menstruation. In asymptomatic women, progesterone underwent a gradual decline over the last 8 days before menstruation. Neither maximum nor minimum progesterone concentrations were related to symptom appearance or severity.
What it means for you
The shape of the progesterone curve (how it changes over time) may matter more than how high or low it gets for whether someone develops PMS. The study was limited to one country and examined only one region of the menstrual cycle.
46
women studied
26.5±6.7
mean age in years
3
days of sharp progesterone decline in women with symptoms
About the study
- Original title
- A specific profile of luteal phase progesterone is associated with the development of premenstrual symptoms
- Authors
- Lovick TA, Guapo VG, Anselmo-Franci JA et al.
- Journal
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Year
- 2017
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 46
- What was tested
- Observational comparison of progesterone patterns between groups
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.10.024
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