--- title: Is dydrogesterone or calcium plus vitamin D better for severe PMS? description: Both worked similarly, reducing symptoms by about 4.6% and 4.2% respectively, slightly better than the 3.42% reduction from placebo. The difference between th url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effect-of-treatment-with-dydrogesterone-or-calcium-plus-vitamin-d-on-the-2009/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is dydrogesterone or calcium plus vitamin D better for severe PMS? Randomised trial, 2009 # Is dydrogesterone or calcium plus vitamin D better for severe PMS? Both worked similarly, reducing symptoms by about 4.6% and 4.2% respectively, slightly better than the 3.42% reduction from placebo. The difference between the two active treatments was too small to say one is clearly better. Strong study design 180 university students with severe PMS in Shiraz ## What they did This was a trial comparing two treatments and placebo. 180 university students with severe PMS in Shiraz were randomly assigned to three groups: dydrogesterone, calcium plus vitamin D, or placebo. They took their pill twice daily from day 15 to day 24 of their cycle. All tracked symptoms daily for 2 cycles before treatment, then for 2 more cycles during treatment. ## What they found Dydrogesterone reduced symptom severity by 4.64%, calcium plus vitamin D reduced it by 4.20%, and placebo reduced it by 3.42%. Both active treatments were similarly effective and only slightly better than placebo. ## What it means for you Both dydrogesterone and calcium plus vitamin D worked about equally well for severe PMS, with modest improvements. The main limitation is that the improvements were small (about 4-5%), and both were only slightly better than placebo. This was a good quality study in one Iranian university. 180 women enrolled 4.64% symptom reduction with dydrogesterone 4.20% symptom reduction with calcium plus vitamin D ## About the study Original title Effect of treatment with dydrogesterone or calcium plus vitamin D on the severity of premenstrual syndrome Authors Khajehei M, Abdali K, Parsanezhad ME et al. Journal International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics Year 2009 Study design Randomised trial Participants 180 What was tested 5 mg dydrogesterone twice daily, or 500 mg calcium plus 200 mg vitamin D twice daily, or placebo, from day 15 to day 24 of the cycle Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.01.016](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.01.016) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Estradiol, progesterone and hormone therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormone-therapy/)[Calcium](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-calcium/)[Vitamin D](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-vitamin-d/)[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 Randomised trial, 2026 Does calcium and vitamin D supplementation reduce PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2019 Do women with PMS have different nutrient levels than healthy women? Survey study, 2019 Do girls with PMS have lower vitamin D and calcium levels? Randomised trial, 2016 Does vitamin D improve mood symptoms in girls with severe vitamin D deficiency and PMS? Case-control study, 2015 Are vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium linked to PMS? Cohort study, 2010 How do anxiety disorders differ across different life stages? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗