Study, 2022
Which premenstrual symptoms change with the menstrual cycle in midlife women?
Mood, muscle and nerve, and body-wide symptoms worsen before the period in women reporting PMS. Hot flashes and sleep problems do not follow this pattern, and menopausal transition stage does not affect any symptoms.
What they did
290 women in late reproductive years or early menopausal transition tracked five types of symptoms daily for at least one full menstrual cycle and reported whether they had PMS. Severity was compared between the time after the period and before the period.
What they found
Mood symptoms, muscle and nerve symptoms, and body-wide symptoms (like bloating) were significantly worse before the period than after, and were affected by whether a woman had PMS. Hot flashes and sleep problems did not worsen before the period and were not affected by PMS. Menopausal stage did not affect any of the five symptom groups.
What it means for you
Some premenstrual symptoms clearly follow the menstrual cycle and are linked to PMS, while others do not. This pattern stays the same regardless of menopausal stage. More research spanning the entire menopausal transition with daily symptom tracking is needed.
290
women in the study
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual cycle phase, menopausal transition stage, self-reports of premenstrual syndrome and symptom severity: observations from the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study
- Authors
- Mitchell ES, Woods NF
- Journal
- Menopause (New York, N.Y.)
- Year
- 2022
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 290
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/gme.0000000000002068
Topics
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