--- title: Can a skin condition timed to the menstrual cycle be linked to progesterone levels? description: In one woman, a cyclic skin rash appearing before menstruation, along with menstrual headaches and heavy periods, was linked to high levels of progesterone me url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/a-syndrome-characterized-by-premenstrual-dermatosis-polyhypermenorrhea-1939/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Can a skin condition timed to the menstrual cycle be linked to progesterone levels? Survey study, 1939 # Can a skin condition timed to the menstrual cycle be linked to progesterone levels? In one woman, a cyclic skin rash appearing before menstruation, along with menstrual headaches and heavy periods, was linked to high levels of progesterone metabolite in her urine. When hormone therapy lowered this level, she felt relief, but this is only one person. Early or limited evidence One 27-year-old married woman with no previous pregnancies. ## What they did Doctors documented the medical history of one woman who had a cyclic skin rash appearing during the second half of her menstrual cycle, heavy menstrual bleeding, painful periods, and menstrual headaches lasting approximately one year. They measured progesterone metabolite in her urine. ## What they found The woman had increased amounts of a progesterone metabolite (sodium pregnanediol glucuronide) in her urine. When she received hormone therapy that reduced how her body metabolizes progesterone and decreased the urinary levels of this metabolite, she reported subjective relief from her symptoms. ## What it means for you This one woman's premenstrual skin rash and other symptoms appeared connected to how her body handled progesterone. However, this is a single case from 1938, and what happened in this one woman may not apply to other women. The improvement was reported subjectively rather than objectively measured. More research is needed to understand if this connection exists in other women. 27 age of woman 1 year duration of symptoms 14 age at first menstruation ## About the study Original title A SYNDROME CHARACTERIZED BY PREMENSTRUAL DERMATOSIS, POLYHYPERMENORRHEA, DYSMENORRHEA, MENSTRUAL HEADACHE AND AN INCREASED URINARY EXCRETION OF SODIUM PREGNANEDIOL GLUCURONIDE Authors E. C. HAMBLEN Journal Endocrinology Year 1939 Study design Survey study What was tested Hormone therapy to reduce progesterone metabolism. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1210/endo-24-2-269](https://doi.org/10.1210/endo-24-2-269) ## Topics [Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Pregnancy and postpartum](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-postpartum/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Cohort study, 2023 Does COVID-19 vaccination change the menstrual cycle? Randomised trial, 2025 Do vitamin D and E supplements reduce menstrual pain and PMS symptoms? Systematic review, 2025 Does digital healthcare help manage period pain and PMS? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Cohort study, 2024 Does psychological distress in adolescence predict menstrual symptoms in adulthood? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗