---
title: What causes PMS and what treatments work? | Niyora
description: The exact cause remains unclear but involves ovary hormones. Progesterone supplements have not been shown to work better than placebo in careful tests.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-premenstrual-syndrome-and-its-treatment-1991/
---

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- What causes PMS and what treatments work?

Review, 1991

# What causes PMS and what treatments work?

The exact cause remains unclear but involves ovary hormones. Progesterone supplements have not been shown to work better than placebo in careful tests.

 Moderate study design

Review of PMS research

## What they did

Review of scientific literature on PMS causes and treatments.

## What they found

Many theories exist about PMS causes but none are definitively proven. The pituitary and ovary hormones must be involved but the exact mechanism is unclear. Progestin in the presence of estrogen appears essential. Excess estrogen may aggravate the condition. The theory of progesterone deficiency has not been supported by double-blind trials of progesterone versus placebo. Placebo has an important effect in PMS treatment.

## What it means for you

We still don't fully understand what causes PMS and what treats it reliably. The main limit is that this review shows our current knowledge is incomplete.

## About the study

Original title The premenstrual syndrome and its treatment Authors Dhar V, Murphy BE Journal The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology Year 1991 Study design Review What was tested None (literature review) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0960-0760(91)90073-e](https://doi.org/10.1016/0960-0760(91)90073-e)

## Topics

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

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