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Survey study, 2010

Do women with premenstrual asthma have more premenstrual symptoms overall?

Yes. Women whose asthma worsens before their period had greater increases in most premenstrual symptoms, especially belly and breast tension, compared to women without this pattern.

Moderate study design 103 women of fertile age with asthma

What they did

103 women with asthma tracked their breathing symptoms and premenstrual symptoms across their menstrual cycle using a questionnaire and lung function measurements (peak flow).

What they found

46 out of 103 women (44.7%) had asthma that worsens before their period. Almost all monitored symptoms increased in the premenstrual phase compared to the preovulatory phase. The increases were greater in women with premenstrual asthma, especially for belly tension and breast tension.

What it means for you

Women whose asthma worsens before their period tend to have more severe premenstrual symptoms overall, particularly swelling and tension. The study included only women with asthma, so we don't know if this applies to women without asthma.

46

women with premenstrual asthma

44.7%

of women studied

at least 20%

worsening to define premenstrual asthma

About the study

Original title
Premenstrual asthma and symptoms related to premenstrual syndrome
Authors
Pereira-Vega A, Sánchez JL, Gil FL et al.
Journal
The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
Year
2010
Study design
Survey study
Participants
103
What was tested
None

Topics