Cohort study, 2011
Do women with PMS consume more caffeine, especially during their luteal phase?
No. Women with PMS consume about the same amount of caffeine as women without PMS. Both groups actually consume less caffeine during the luteal phase (when PMS symptoms are worse) than during the follicular phase.
What they did
Prospective cohort study. Participants completed daily symptom ratings online for two consecutive menstrual cycles. Women who showed a 30% increase in PMS symptoms during the luteal phase in both cycles were classified as the PMS group. Researchers tracked caffeine consumption patterns across the cycle.
What they found
Caffeine intake was higher during the follicular phase than during the luteal phase for both the PMS group and the non-PMS control group (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference between the two groups in caffeine intake (p = 0.338) after adjusting for age, marital status, oral contraceptive use, regular medication use, and smoking.
What it means for you
The findings suggest that PMS symptoms are not caused by women consuming more caffeine. In fact, both groups naturally consumed less caffeine during the luteal phase (the two weeks before the period), regardless of whether they had PMS. This suggests that caffeine habits do not contribute to PMS.
2
Menstrual cycles tracked
30%
Symptom increase threshold to define PMS
p=0.338
No significant caffeine difference between groups
About the study
- Original title
- Effects of Caffeine Consumption on Premenstrual Syndrome: A Prospective Study
- Journal
- The Internet Journal of Endocrinology
- Year
- 2011
- Study design
- Cohort study
- What was tested
- No intervention - observational study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5580/c7b
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