---
title: Does fish oil help reduce PMS symptoms? | Niyora
description: Yes. Fish oil at 2g per day significantly reduced PMS symptoms in both minority and non-minority women, with the same large effect size of 1.4 in both groups.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/an-exploratory-pilot-of-factors-associated-with-premenstrual-syndrome-in-2015/
---

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- Does fish oil help reduce PMS symptoms?

Survey study, 2015

# Does fish oil help reduce PMS symptoms?

Yes. Fish oil at 2g per day significantly reduced PMS symptoms in both minority and non-minority women, with the same large effect size of 1.4 in both groups.

 Early or limited evidence

15 women (7 non-minority, 8 minority) taking fish oil supplementation

## What they did

Pilot study of 15 women (7 non-minority, 8 minority) who took 2g of fish oil daily. PMS symptoms were measured at baseline (averaged over 2 months) and again at 5 months using a menstrual distress questionnaire.

## What they found

Fish oil supplementation significantly reduced PMS symptoms in the non-minority group (p=0.002) and the minority group (p=0.046), with a large effect size of 1.4 for both groups. Mean PMS scores were not significantly different between the two groups at 5 months.

## What it means for you

This small pilot suggests fish oil may help all women with PMS regardless of race or ethnicity. A larger study is needed to confirm these findings. The main limitation is the very small sample size (15 women total) and short study period (5 months).

2g/day

fish oil dose

1.4

effect size both groups

n=15

total participants

## About the study

Original title An exploratory pilot of factors associated with premenstrual syndrome in minority women Authors Mallory Perry, Michelle Price Judge, Danielle Millar et al. Journal International Journal of Nursing Sciences Year 2015 Study design Survey study Participants 15 What was tested 2g fish oil daily for 5 months Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2015.04.008](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2015.04.008)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Omega-3 fatty acids](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-omega-3/)

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