--- title: Do women with premenstrual syndrome have abnormal opioid hormone activity during the menstrual cycle? description: The study found differences in how hormones respond to naloxone in women with PMS compared to controls, especially in the days before menstruation. The abstra url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/transient-failure-of-central-opioid-tonus-and-premenstrual-symptoms-1988/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women with premenstrual syndrome have abnormal opioid hormone activity during the menstrual cycle? Survey study, 1988 # Do women with premenstrual syndrome have abnormal opioid hormone activity during the menstrual cycle? The study found differences in how hormones respond to naloxone in women with PMS compared to controls, especially in the days before menstruation. The abstract is incomplete, so full findings are not presented. Early or limited evidence 9 women with PMS, 15 with menstrually-related migraine, 16 with common migraine, 7 control women ## What they did Researchers tested women with PMS (9), menstrually-related migraine (15), common migraine (16), and healthy controls (7) during different menstrual cycle phases. Participants received naloxone (opioid-blocking drug) to test hormone responses. Blood samples were measured and women completed the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire. ## What they found In the middle luteal phase, LH hormone response to naloxone was similar in women with PMS and menstrually-related migraine compared to healthy controls, but different in women with common migraine. In the late luteal phase (days before menstruation), only control women maintained the same LH response as in the middle of the cycle. Women with PMS and menstrually-related migraine lost the naloxone-induced LH release in this late phase. The abstract ends abruptly without providing complete findings. ## What it means for you This suggests that women with PMS and menstrually-related migraine may have changes in their opioid hormone system in the days before their period, which could contribute to symptoms. However, the incomplete abstract makes it hard to understand full findings. The sample is small (9 women with PMS) and the test requires specialized equipment. 9 women with PMS 3+ years of PMS symptoms 7 control women ## About the study Original title Transient failure of central opioid tonus and premenstrual symptoms Authors Facchinetti F, Martignoni E, Sola D et al. Journal The Journal of reproductive medicine Year 1988 Study design Survey study Participants 16 What was tested Naloxone test and luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) test Open access Yes Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3050071/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3050071/) Original abstract In order to evaluate the relationships between endogenous opioid activity and premenstrual complaints, we subjected three groups of patients in the mid (days 8-12 prior to menses) and late (days 1-5 prior to menses) luteal phases of the cycle to a naloxone test and some of the patients to a luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) test. The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) group was composed of nine patients complaining of dizziness, irritability and depression close to menses for at least three years. The menstrually related migraine (MM) group was composed of 15 patients complaining of premenstrually related migraine. The common migraine (CM) group was made up of 16 women suffering from common migraine for years whose attacks occurred independently of menstrual cycle events. A group of seven fertile women served as controls. Every two days the patients filled out the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire for evaluation of their complaints. After the evaluation of spontaneous LH pulsatility for one hour, 4 mg of naloxone was injected as a bolus, and samples were collected every 15 minutes for 2 hours. Both estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) were measured in basal samples from each naloxone test. LH responsiveness to LHRH was similar in the mid and late luteal phases and did not change between groups. In the mid luteal phase the LH response to naloxone in PMS and MM patients was similar to that in normal subjects, while CM patients had impaired LH secretion. In the premenstrual phase only the controls maintained an LH responsiveness similar to that observed in the mid luteal phase, while both PMS and MM lost the naloxone-induced LH release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) 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/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[GnRH agonists and ovarian suppression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-gnrh/)[Migraine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-migraine/) 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 Systematic review, 2023 What hormonal treatments have been tested for PMDD, menstrual migraine, and catamenial epilepsy? Review, 2001 Do common health conditions get worse at certain times in your menstrual cycle? Survey study, 2003 Does migraine risk change during menopause in women with PMS? Review, 2003 What treatments work best for PMS and PMDD? Review, 2000 Do common diseases get worse before a woman's period? Review, 1998 How does the menstrual cycle affect other medical conditions? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗