---
title: Does PMS or other menstrual problems increase the risk of asthma later in life?
description: Yes. Women who had heavy menstrual bleeding, severe period pain, or PMS from their 20s to 40s had 62-67% higher odds of asthma in their 40s.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-disorders-and-the-risk-of-asthma-a-prospective-study-of-women-from-2025/
---

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- Does PMS or other menstrual problems increase the risk of asthma later in life?

Cohort study, 2025

# Does PMS or other menstrual problems increase the risk of asthma later in life?

Yes. Women who had heavy menstrual bleeding, severe period pain, or PMS from their 20s to 40s had 62-67% higher odds of asthma in their 40s.

 Moderate study design

1240 Australian women born 1973-1978, followed from their 20s to their 40s

## What they did

Followed 1240 Australian women born 1973-1978. Collected information on menstrual problems from 1996 to 2018. Checked who had asthma (doctor-diagnosed, recent attacks, or medication use) in their 40s.

## What they found

Among participants, 14.2% had current asthma in their 40s. Heavy menstrual bleeding was associated with 1.62 times higher odds of asthma. Severe period pain was associated with 1.67 times higher odds. PMS was associated with 1.66 times higher odds. Irregular periods were only associated with asthma when reported during their 40s, not earlier.

## What it means for you

Menstrual problems in reproductive years may reflect lung problems that develop later. The main limitation is that this is observational data, so we cannot prove that menstrual problems directly cause asthma. The study only included Australian women.

1240

women followed across decades

14.2%

had current asthma in their 40s

1.62-1.67

odds ratio for menstrual problems

## About the study

Original title Menstrual disorders and the risk of asthma: A prospective study of women from their early twenties to their mid-forties Authors Jin C, Dharmage S, Dobson A et al. Journal Maturitas Year 2025 Study design Cohort study Participants 1,240 What was tested None, observational study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108218](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108218)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)

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.

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