---
title: Do women with fibromyalgia have more premenstrual syndrome and period pain than other women?
description: Yes. Women with fibromyalgia were significantly more likely to have PMS (42% vs 25%) and period pain (41% vs 28%) than healthy women.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/evaluating-the-relation-of-premenstrual-syndrome-and-primary-dysmenorrhea-in-2015/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Do women with fibromyalgia have more premenstrual syndrome and period pain than other women?

Case-control study, 2015

# Do women with fibromyalgia have more premenstrual syndrome and period pain than other women?

Yes. Women with fibromyalgia were significantly more likely to have PMS (42% vs 25%) and period pain (41% vs 28%) than healthy women.

 Moderate study design

98 women with fibromyalgia and 102 healthy women of similar age

## What they did

Researchers compared 98 women diagnosed with fibromyalgia to 102 healthy women of similar age. They assessed both groups for PMS by checking for symptoms in the 5 days before menstruation, and for period pain lasting at least 2 days during menstruation. They measured pain levels and depression.

## What they found

42% of women with fibromyalgia had PMS compared to 25% of the control group (p=0.03). 41% of women with fibromyalgia had period pain compared to 28% of the control group (p=0.03). Among women with fibromyalgia, those with higher symptom severity scores and higher depression scores were at higher risk of PMS and period pain.

## What it means for you

Women with fibromyalgia are more likely to experience PMS and period pain, possibly because of shared factors like pain sensitivity and mood. However, this study only compared the two groups at one time and cannot prove that fibromyalgia causes PMS.

42%

PMS in fibromyalgia patients

25%

PMS in healthy controls

p=0.03

Statistical significance

## About the study

Original title [Evaluating the relation of premenstrual syndrome and primary dysmenorrhea in women diagnosed with fibromyalgia] Authors Terzi R, Terzi H, Kale A Journal Revista brasileira de reumatologia Year 2015 Study design Case-control study Participants 98 What was tested None (observational study) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.rbr.2014.12.009](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbr.2014.12.009)

## Topics

[Chronic pain and fibromyalgia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-chronic-pain/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)

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

Cohort study, 2025

How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it?

Survey study, 2017

Does painful menstruation affect adolescent girls' mood, emotions, sleep, and thinking?

Study, 2015

Does treating the uterus with injections and freezing help severe PMS and PMDD?

Study, 1993

Are the symptoms of PMS different from heavy periods and severe period pain?

Survey study, 2024

What factors are linked to PMDD in female university students?

Case report, 2023

Does a combination of maca, progesterone, and magnesium help PMDD symptoms?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗