Study, 1986
Could hormones other than estrogen and progesterone cause PMS?
This is an idea paper, not a study with real data, so it cannot be confirmed. It suggests PMS might be caused by high levels of pituitary hormones acting on body tissues outside their usual targets, but this is only a theory.
What they did
The author proposed a possible explanation for what causes PMS based on existing knowledge about hormones. No patients were recruited and no experiment or trial was carried out.
What they found
The paper suggests that after pregnancy or childbirth, the body may become more sensitive to estrogen, which could lead to more follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) being released around ovulation and before a period. It proposes these hormones might act on the adrenal glands to raise cortisol, and interfere with how bone handles calcium, lowering it. It also points out that women past menopause have high FSH and LH and can still have symptoms that come and go.
What it means for you
This is a theory only, with no new data to back it up. It cannot tell us whether this is really what causes PMS, and it offers no tested treatment, so readers should not draw practical conclusions from it.
About the study
- Original title
- Pre-menstrual syndrome--are gonadotropins the cause of the condition?
- Authors
- Coulson CJ
- Journal
- Medical hypotheses
- Year
- 1986
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- None. The paper does not test any treatment.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0306-9877(86)90071-x
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