Study, 1997
Does asthma get worse before your period?
Yes. Women with asthma have significantly more airway tightening during the premenstrual phase of their cycle, even though their asthma is normally well controlled.
What they did
15 women with well-controlled asthma were measured at two points in their cycle - days 1-6 and days 21-24. Doctors measured how much the airways tightened when exposed to adenosine monophosphate, and measured hormone levels.
What they found
Airways were 2.51 times more tight during days 21-24 than during days 1-6. Estrogen levels rose 2.2-fold and progesterone rose 7.2-fold between the two cycle phases. The response to salbutamol did not change between phases.
What it means for you
Women with asthma may have worse breathing before their period even when their asthma is normally controlled. Hormones seem involved but through a different mechanism than usual. The study is small with only 15 women.
15
Women
2.51
Fold increase in airway tightening
7.2
Fold increase in progesterone
About the study
- Original title
- Loss of normal cyclical beta 2 adrenoceptor regulation and increased premenstrual responsiveness to adenosine monophosphate in stable female asthmatic patients
- Authors
- Tan KS, McFarlane LC, Lipworth BJ
- Journal
- Thorax
- Year
- 1997
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 2
- What was tested
- None - the study measured natural cycle changes
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1136/thx.52.7.608