Cohort study, 1989
Can women without a uterus still get PMS?
Yes. Three women without a uterus but with intact ovaries had PMS when tracked daily, showing that PMS is linked to ovarian hormones, not the uterus or psychological factors.
What they did
Prospective study where 13 hysterectomized women (no uterus but ovaries intact) rated 8 PMS symptoms daily on scales for 35 consecutive days. Researchers tracked the LH surge in urine to identify ovulation and the cycle phases.
What they found
On retrospective recall, 50% of the 13 women reported having had PMS. However, only 3 of 13 met PMS criteria on prospective daily ratings. There was no significant correlation between what women remembered and what they recorded daily. In retrospect, one woman reported no symptoms, and in prospective daily tracking, 4 women had no symptoms.
What it means for you
This shows PMS is a real cycle-related biological condition linked to ovarian hormones, not mainly memory bias or psychological factors. However, the study was small with no healthy control group for comparison.
13
hysterectomized women with intact ovaries
3 of 13
with PMS on daily tracking
50%
reported PMS on retrospective recall
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome in a group of hysterectomized women of reproductive age with intact ovaries
- Authors
- Silber M, Carlström K, Larsson B
- Journal
- Advances in contraception : the official journal of the Society for the Advancement of Contraception
- Year
- 1989
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 13
- What was tested
- None; observational tracking of symptoms and hormonal cycle
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/bf01849358
Topics
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