---
title: Can we measure how well treatments work for individual women with severe PMS?
description: Yes. Some women's symptoms improved to a mild, cyclic pattern while others remained unpredictable, showing that treatment affects different women differently.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/evaluating-therapeutic-change-in-symptom-severity-at-the-level-of-the-individual-1994/
---

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- Can we measure how well treatments work for individual women with severe PMS?

Study, 1994

# Can we measure how well treatments work for individual women with severe PMS?

Yes. Some women's symptoms improved to a mild, cyclic pattern while others remained unpredictable, showing that treatment affects different women differently.

 Early or limited evidence

5 women with severe PMS

## What they did

Five women with severe PMS tracked their symptoms daily across seven menstrual cycles. Baseline symptom patterns were recorded before treatment, then compared to patterns after treatment.

## What they found

Three baseline symptom patterns emerged: a classic PMS pattern, a premenstrual magnification pattern (symptoms worsen before the period) and a social week pattern. After treatment, two response types appeared: a normalized response where symptom severity declined to mild and cyclic, and an unstable response where symptoms remained reactive.

## What it means for you

Women respond differently to PMS treatment. Some improve more than others while some don't stabilize. This helps doctors understand what outcomes to expect for individual patients. The main limitation is the very small sample of only five women.

5

women

7

menstrual cycles tracked

2

treatment response patterns

## About the study

Original title Evaluating therapeutic change in symptom severity at the level of the individual woman experiencing severe PMS Authors Taylor DL Journal Image--the journal of nursing scholarship Year 1994 Study design Study What was tested A treatment intervention for severe PMS Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/j.1547-5069.1994.tb00290.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1547-5069.1994.tb00290.x)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)

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, 2024

What do brain wave patterns show about PMS and PMDD?

Review, 2024

What is premenstrual exacerbation and how does it affect different psychiatric illnesses?

Systematic review, 2022

Do mental health disorders get worse during the menstrual cycle?

Review, 2018

What are the most effective treatments for premenstrual syndrome and PMDD?

Review, 2012

How should premenstrual disorders be diagnosed and organized?

Randomised trial, 2000

How should PMDD be diagnosed and treated?

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