Survey study, 2017
Does asthma get worse before your period?
Some women report asthma that worsens before their period, but research has not proven this happens consistently or identified what causes it. Different studies measured this so differently that no clear conclusion can be drawn.
What they did
Researchers reviewed published studies from January 2000 through October 2016 about asthma and the menstrual cycle. They looked at whether asthma gets worse at certain times, how common it is, why it might happen, and how to treat it.
What they found
18 out of 57 studies reviewed met criteria. The 18 studies disagreed on important points: whether asthma that worsens before your period is real, how to diagnose it, whether hormone changes cause it, and how to treat it. Some studies only used what women reported, while others measured breathing function with tests. Some found hormone changes affected asthma, others did not.
What it means for you
We cannot yet be sure whether asthma that worsens before your period is common or real because studies measured it in very different ways and found different results. Better coordinated research across multiple hospitals is needed to understand whether this happens, why, and how to help.
57
studies reviewed
18
studies meeting criteria
2000-2016
timeframe of published studies
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual Asthma: A Myth or a Reality?
- Authors
- Sara Manti, Salvatore Leonardi, Valeria Dipasquale et al.
- Journal
- Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews
- Year
- 2017
- Study design
- Survey study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.2174/1573398x13666170511121110
Topics
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