---
title: Does body weight affect whether asthma gets worse around a woman's period?
description: Yes, in this small study women whose asthma flared up around their period had a higher BMI than women with asthma without that pattern, or healthy women. A ty
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/exacerbations-in-perimenstrual-asthma-clinical-significance-of-peripheral-blood-2016/
---

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- Does body weight affect whether asthma gets worse around a woman's period?

Case-control study, 2016

# Does body weight affect whether asthma gets worse around a woman's period?

Yes, in this small study women whose asthma flared up around their period had a higher BMI than women with asthma without that pattern, or healthy women. A type of white blood cell called eosinophils did not explain the flare-ups.

 Early or limited evidence

30 women: some with asthma that worsens around their period, some with asthma without that pattern, and healthy women as controls

## What they did

30 women were split into three small groups: women with asthma that got worse around their period (perimenstrual asthma), women with asthma but no period-related pattern, and healthy women without asthma. All had breathing tests (spirometry), symptom questionnaires, and blood cell counts.

## What they found

Women with perimenstrual asthma had a higher average BMI (25.8) than women with asthma but no period pattern (23.9) and healthy women (23.1), a difference that was statistically significant (p=0.018). Their breathing test results (FEV1) were also lower (85.1%) than the non-perimenstrual asthma group (93.1%). Blood eosinophil levels were not linked to the flare-ups.

## What it means for you

Carrying more weight may make a woman more likely to have asthma that worsens around her period, but this is a very small study with only 30 women split across three groups, so the findings need confirming in larger studies.

30

Women in study

25.8

BMI in perimenstrual asthma group

0.018

p-value for BMI difference

## About the study

Original title [Exacerbations in perimenstrual asthma. Clinical significance of peripheral blood eosinophilia and BMI] Authors Skoczyński S, Semik-Orzech A, Pierzchała E et al. Journal Wiadomosci lekarskie (Warsaw, Poland : 1960) Year 2016 Study design Case-control study Participants 30 Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27421125/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27421125/)

## Topics

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

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