Does calcium supplementation reduce PMS symptoms?

Aims This study systematically reviewed the available randomised controlled trials to elucidate the general relationship between calcium and PMS. Material and Methods Meta-analysis followed PRISMA guidelines using the PICOS format, considering CONSORT recommendations. Searches were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases between 02.11.2022- 02.12.2022 using the keywords "premenstrual syndrome and calcium" and "premenstrual tension and calcium" and "premenstrual dysphoric disorder and calcium". Results This systematic review and meta-analysis included six randomised controlled trials published between 2013 and 2020. According to the pooled results of the six studies, calcium reduced the severity of PMS complaints (p=0.002; I2 = 76.2%) when calcium administration was compared with the control group for the reduction of PMS complaints. On the other hand, the severity of PMS complaints did not change when calcium administration for the reduction of PMS complaints was compared with other treatments (p=0.416; I2 = 54.7%). Conclusions This study showed that calcium effectively reduced the severity of PMS complaints compared to the control groups. In contrast, the severity of PMS complaints did not change when other treatments and calcium administration were compared.

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