--- title: Does drinking caffeine make premenstrual syndrome worse? | Niyora description: Yes. The more caffeine a woman drinks, the more likely she is to have premenstrual symptoms. Women drinking 8 to 10 cups a day were about 7 times more likely url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/caffeine-containing-beverages-total-fluid-consumption-and-premenstrual-syndrome-1990/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does drinking caffeine make premenstrual syndrome worse? Survey study, 1990 # Does drinking caffeine make premenstrual syndrome worse? Yes. The more caffeine a woman drinks, the more likely she is to have premenstrual symptoms. Women drinking 8 to 10 cups a day were about 7 times more likely to have severe symptoms than those drinking very little. Moderate study design 841 female university students in Oregon ## What they did Researchers mailed a questionnaire to female university students in Oregon asking about their periods and how much caffeine they drank daily. 841 women answered. ## What they found Women who drank caffeine had a much higher rate of premenstrual syndrome than non-drinkers. For women with more severe symptoms, the relationship was dose-dependent. Women drinking one cup of caffeine a day had an odds ratio of 1.3 for premenstrual syndrome. This increased steadily to 7.0 for women drinking 8 to 10 cups a day. The pattern was the same whether the caffeine came from tea, coffee, or soda. Daily total fluid consumption was also related to symptoms, but only at the highest levels (13 to 19 cups per day). ## What it means for you Cutting back on caffeine might help reduce premenstrual symptoms, especially if symptoms are severe. The study was done only with university students, mostly in one place, so results may not apply to all women. 841 women who responded 1.3 odds ratio for 1 cup caffeine per day 7.0 odds ratio for 8-10 cups per day ## About the study Original title Caffeine-containing beverages, total fluid consumption, and premenstrual syndrome Authors Rossignol AM, Bonnlander H Journal American journal of public health Year 1990 Study design Survey study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.2105/ajph.80.9.1106](https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.80.9.1106) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) 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 Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Do dietary changes or sun exposure reduce PMS symptoms in adolescent girls? Survey study, 2026 What dietary, lifestyle, and psychological factors are associated with PMS in young women? Cohort study, 2026 Are diet and lifestyle linked to premenstrual symptoms in college students? Survey study, 2026 What factors most strongly drive PMS severity in female engineering students? Cohort study, 2026 Are stress, physical activity, and diet linked to premenstrual symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗