--- title: Does a 50% drop in PMS symptom scores matter in real life, like fewer doctor visits or costs? description: Yes. Women with much higher premenstrual symptom scores had notably more doctor visits and medical costs, which supports using a 50% symptom reduction as a me url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/differences-in-symptom-scores-and-health-outcomes-in-premenstrual-syndrome-2007/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does a 50% drop in PMS symptom scores matter in real life, like fewer doctor visits or costs? Non-randomised trial, 2007 # Does a 50% drop in PMS symptom scores matter in real life, like fewer doctor visits or costs? Yes. Women with much higher premenstrual symptom scores had notably more doctor visits and medical costs, which supports using a 50% symptom reduction as a meaningful marker of improvement in PMS or PMDD treatment studies. Early or limited evidence Women aged 18 to 45 in a medical group in southern California, grouped by PMS/PMDD severity ## What they did Women aged 18 to 45 in a medical group in southern California filled out a health survey (SF-36) and then tracked their symptoms daily using the Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP) over two menstrual cycles. They were sorted into a mild/no PMS or PMDD group (271 women) and a moderate/severe PMS or PMDD group (117 women), and their medical costs over the previous 2 years were checked. ## What they found The mild/no PMS group had 43% lower premenstrual symptom scores than the moderate/severe group (29.7 versus 52.4). This 43% difference was linked to a higher chance of having more than 10 doctor visits (OR 1.80) and of racking up more than $500 in medical charges (OR 1.9). ## What it means for you A difference in symptom scores of around 43 to 50% lines up with a real difference in healthcare use and cost, backing up the common practice of calling a 50% symptom drop a 'good' treatment response in studies. This was a comparison between existing groups, not a randomized treatment trial, and was based in one region, so it cannot prove treatment causes improvement. 43% lower symptom scores in mild/no PMS group OR 1.80 odds of more than 10 doctor visits OR 1.9 odds of over $500 in medical charges ## About the study Original title Differences in symptom scores and health outcomes in premenstrual syndrome Authors Borenstein JE, Dean BB, Leifke E et al. Journal Journal of women's health (2002) Year 2007 Study design Non-randomised trial Participants 271 What was tested None tested directly; this compared health outcomes between women with mild/no PMS and moderate/severe PMS or PMDD Read the paper [doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2006.0230](https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2006.0230) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Economic burden](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-economic-burden/) 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 Review, 2026 How much do PMS and menstrual disorders affect women's work, school, and quality of life? Survey study, 2002 What is the economic and work impact of premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Cohort study, 2002 Does PMDD cause more healthcare costs and work loss than other premenstrual symptoms? Cohort study, 2011 What is the economic burden of moderate to severe PMS or PMDD in Latin American women? Survey study, 2010 Do women with PMS or PMDD miss more work? Study, 2005 What is premenstrual syndrome and PMDD and how do they affect women? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗