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Cohort study, 1996

Can hormones trigger PMS symptoms in women without ovaries or a uterus?

Not clearly. Some individual women showed links between progesterone and symptoms, but results overall were not statistically significant. Women don't respond uniformly to hormones.

Early or limited evidence 9 women with prior hysterectomy and oophorectomy who had severe PMS

What they did

9 women who had hysterectomy and oophorectomy and previously had severe PMS received estrogen and progesterone in a single-blind study. They completed daily symptom questionnaires and hormone levels were measured.

What they found

Overall, symptom measures did not correlate with hormone levels. However, individual women sometimes showed correlations between symptom scores and progesterone levels.

What it means for you

PMS does not respond the same way to hormones in all women. One hormone mechanism cannot explain PMS in everyone. Limitation: very small sample of only 9 women and results were not statistically significant.

9

women studied

About the study

Original title
Can one induce premenstrual symptomatology in women with prior hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy?
Authors
Henshaw C, Foreman D, Belcher J et al.
Journal
Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology
Year
1996
Study design
Cohort study
What was tested
Estrogen and progesterone

Topics