Cohort study, 1989
How much do PMS symptoms actually change with the menstrual cycle?
Physical symptoms like breast pain change reliably with the cycle, but emotional symptoms don't follow this pattern in most women. Only about one-third had emotional symptoms that mostly disappeared after their period.
What they did
100 women at a gynecology clinic with PMS problems completed daily rating scales for their symptoms. Researchers calculated how much symptoms changed between the premenstrual week and the postmenstrual week.
What they found
Physical symptoms of breast discomfort and swelling were more closely related to menstrual cycle phase than psychological symptoms of tension, irritability, lethargy, and depression. Only 32 women had 75% or greater reduction of premenstrual psychological symptoms during the postmenstrual week, while 62 women had this much relief of physical symptoms. For almost half the women, emotional symptoms reached their peak after the onset of menstrual bleeding. Women with near-complete relief of emotional symptoms postmenstrually were significantly less likely to have a history of psychiatric treatment, marital breakdown, or more than three children.
What it means for you
Many women with PMS, especially emotional symptoms, may have mood problems throughout their cycle that worsen during menstruation, not just before it. These women may not respond to hormone treatments targeting the premenstrual phase. The study was limited to women seeking care at one clinic.
100
women studied
32 of 100
had 75% or more emotional symptom relief
62 of 100
had 75% or more physical symptom relief
About the study
- Original title
- The characteristics of 100 women presenting to a gynecological clinic with premenstrual complaints
- Authors
- West CP
- Journal
- Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica
- Year
- 1989
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 100
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3109/00016348909006149
Topics
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