Survey study, 1984
Do asthma symptoms get worse before a woman's period?
Yes, about 40 percent of women with asthma reported worsening symptoms, confirmed by peak flow measurements. This is a cross-sectional study with unreported sample size, which limits how certain we can be.
What they did
Researchers surveyed women with asthma about whether their symptoms changed during their menstrual cycle. Women also measured their peak flow twice daily to track any breathing changes.
What they found
Forty percent of women reported premenstrual deterioration in asthma symptoms, confirmed by peak flow recordings. No correlations were found between premenstrual asthma worsening and premenstrual tension symptoms, aspirin consumption, contraceptive pill use, cycle length, or asthma behavior during pregnancy.
What it means for you
Some women with asthma get worse before their period, but this was unrelated to PMS, birth control, or other factors tested. The main limitation is that the total sample size was not reported.
40%
women with premenstrual asthma worsening
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual exacerbation of asthma
- Authors
- Gibbs CJ, Coutts II, Lock R et al.
- Journal
- Thorax
- Year
- 1984
- Study design
- Survey study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1136/thx.39.11.833
Topics
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