--- title: Does progesterone therapy help premenstrual syndrome in women with PCOS? description: Yes, progesterone significantly reduced multiple emotional PMS symptoms in women with PCOS, including depression, anxiety, and mood swings. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/therapeutic-effects-of-progesterone-on-premenstrual-syndrome-in-women-with-2020/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does progesterone therapy help premenstrual syndrome in women with PCOS? Randomised trial, 2020 # Does progesterone therapy help premenstrual syndrome in women with PCOS? Yes, progesterone significantly reduced multiple emotional PMS symptoms in women with PCOS, including depression, anxiety, and mood swings. Moderate study design 60 women with PCOS and PMS (mean age 26.6 to 27 years) in Pakistan ## What they did Double-blind randomized controlled trial in 60 women with PCOS and PMS in Pakistan from August 2018 to April 2019. The progesterone group (30 women) received 300 mg daily in three doses from day 15 to day 25 of the cycle. The control group received placebo. Researchers assessed 16 premenstrual symptoms before and 3 months after treatment. ## What they found Progesterone treatment significantly reduced depression, irritability, anxiety, mood swings, abdominal bloating, sleeplessness, feeling hopeless, breast tenderness, and decreased interest in activities compared to placebo. ## What it means for you This study suggests progesterone may help relieve emotional and physical PMS symptoms in women with PCOS, a condition characterized by low progesterone. The limitation is that results may not apply to women without PCOS. The study is also small (30 women per group) and only conducted at one hospital. 60 women with PCOS 300 mg daily progesterone dose 3 months treatment duration ## About the study Original title THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF PROGESTERONE ON PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME IN WOMEN WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME Authors Fareeha Anum Dr. Nawal Cheema Journal Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) Year 2020 Study design Randomised trial Participants 30 What was tested Progesterone 300 mg per day in three doses from day 15 to day 25 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4109434](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4109434) Original abstract Introduction: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is defined as a group of disorders characterized by emotional and physical symptoms that occur in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and subside following menstruation. The reported prevalence of severe PMS is variable between 3% and 24%. Etiology of PMS remains unknown but cyclical ovarian activity and the effect of estradiol and progesterone on the neurotransmitters serotonin and gamma aminobutyric acid appear to be key factors. One hypothesis that the cause of PMS is the deficiency of progesterone and its derivatives. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is characterized with chronic anovulation and oligo-ovulation. Due to this there is a distinct deficiency of progesterone and its derivatives in PCOS. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of progesterone therapy for PMS in woman with PCOS. Materials and methods A randomized double blind controlled trial was performed on 60 women with PCOS and PMS. This study was conducted at Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi between August 2018 and April 2019. In the study group (progesterone group = group A, n=30), progesteron in a total amount of 300 mg was prescribed for a per day basis on three times a day, and in the control group (placebo group=group B, n=30) placebo capsules, which were completely similar to progesterone capsules were prescribed from day 15 to day 25. The severity and duration of symptoms were compared in both groups before treatment and 3 months after the beginning of treatment with Visual Analog Scala (VAS). Participants were requested to answer questions about their recurrent experience of 16 symptoms during the premenstrual phase. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science. Results: We investigated 60 females (mean age progesterone group / placebo group= 26.6 ± 2,5/ 27 ± 1,8years; range = 18-35 years). Two or more premenstrual symptoms were detected in 95.5% of the participants. The most frequent symptoms are depression, anxiety, abdominal bloating, mood swings, breast tenderness. Statistical significant decline was seen in progesterone treatment group in depression, irritablity, anxiety, mood swing, abdominal bloating, sleeplessness, felt hopeless, breast tenderness, less interest in usual activities symptoms. Conclusion: In this study comparing progesterone therapy with placebo for PMS in women with PCOS, we found that women had much lower depression, irritability, anxiety, mood swing, abdominal bloating, sleeplessness, felt hopeless, breast tenderness, less interest in usual activities symptoms during progesterone treatment. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Mood swings and emotion regulation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-emotional-regulation/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Bloating, breast tenderness and physical symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-physical-symptoms/)[Estradiol, progesterone and hormone therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormone-therapy/)[Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-pcos/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2013 Does progesterone reduce PMS symptoms in women with polycystic ovary syndrome? Survey study, 2019 How common is premenstrual syndrome among medical students? Cohort study, 1986 Is PMS mainly about symptoms worsening before your period, or is there more? Survey study, 1982 Are premenstrual and menstrual symptoms separate problems or part of one larger problem? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Randomised trial, 2018 Does swimming reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗