---
title: Does progesterone help premenstrual syndrome? | Niyora
description: No. Progesterone at either dose was not significantly better than placebo at reducing symptoms, and placebo was often more effective.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-syndrome-a-double-blind-controlled-trial-of-progesterone-and-1979/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does progesterone help premenstrual syndrome?

Randomised trial, 1979

# Does progesterone help premenstrual syndrome?

No. Progesterone at either dose was not significantly better than placebo at reducing symptoms, and placebo was often more effective.

 Moderate study design

75 women with premenstrual syndrome

## What they did

75 women with PMS recorded symptoms daily using menstrual distress questionnaires. After an untreated cycle, women received progesterone 200 mg twice daily and placebo in double-blind crossover. Then 75% of patients received progesterone 400 mg twice daily and placebo in the same manner. Cycles were rated by daily questionnaires and retrospective self-assessment.

## What they found

No significant difference between progesterone and placebo in reducing premenstrual syndrome symptoms at either dose. In the majority of cases placebo was more effective, although never significantly so.

## What it means for you

This well-designed trial found that progesterone at either dose was no better than placebo for PMS, and placebo often worked better. This challenges the common belief that progesterone helps PMS. The study included 75 women from 1979, which was relatively large for that time.

75

women with premenstrual syndrome

200 mg

progesterone dose initially

400 mg

progesterone dose for 75% of women

## About the study

Original title Premenstrual syndrome: a double-blind controlled trial of progesterone and placebo Authors Sampson GA Journal The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science Year 1979 Study design Randomised trial Participants 75 What was tested Progesterone 200 mg and 400 mg twice daily Read the paper [doi.org/10.1192/bjp.135.3.209](https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.135.3.209)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)

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.

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗