Review, 1994
What did researchers know about PMS and how to study it, as of the early 1990s?
This is not a new study. It's an overview of past research, arguing that PMS needs better diagnostic tools and more careful studies linking it to mood disorders, but it doesn't test any treatment or report new results.
What they did
The author reviewed previously published research on premenstrual syndrome, looking at how it is defined and diagnosed, how it is assessed in clinics, what is known about its biology, and how treatment research has progressed. No new patients were studied; it is a summary of existing literature.
What they found
The review concludes there was growing agreement among researchers on the need for better assessment tools, more prospective (forward-looking) clinical studies, and closer biological investigation of how PMS relates to mood disorders. No specific numerical results, treatment effects, or participant data are reported in the abstract.
What it means for you
This paper doesn't tell a woman with PMS whether any treatment works. It's a call from one researcher for the field to study PMS more rigorously. Because it's a narrative review from 1994 reflecting one author's view, it can't be used to judge any specific symptom, cause, or treatment.
About the study
- Original title
- [Premenstrual syndrome: review of literature]
- Authors
- Lastrico A, Andreoli A, Campana A
- Journal
- Minerva psichiatrica
- Year
- 1994
- Study design
- Review
- What was tested
- None tested. The paper reviews diagnostic methods and research approaches, not a specific treatment.
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7861947/