Study, 2011
Does sertraline (an antidepressant) help all types of PMS the same way?
No. Women with mainly mood symptoms and those with mixed symptoms improved with sertraline, but women with mainly physical symptoms did not improve.
What they did
Analyzed data from 447 women with PMS or PMDD treated with sertraline for three menstrual cycles in clinical trials. They divided women into groups based on whether their symptoms were mainly mood-related, mainly physical, or both.
What they found
Women with mixed symptoms (both mood and physical) had the strongest response to sertraline. Women with mainly mood symptoms also improved. Women with mainly physical symptoms (like bloating and breast tenderness) did not improve. For women with mixed symptoms, treating 8.3 women would result in one improving by at least 50%. For mood-only symptoms, 3.9 would need treatment, and for physical-only symptoms, 7.1 would need treatment.
What it means for you
The type of PMS affects how well sertraline works. If your main symptoms are mood-related, sertraline is likely to help. If your main symptoms are physical, sertraline probably won't work, and a different treatment may be needed. This was an analysis of previous trial data, not a new study designed to compare subtypes.
447
Women in study
3
Treatment cycles
8.3
Need to treat (mixed) for 1 to improve 50%
About the study
- Original title
- Clinical subtypes of premenstrual syndrome and responses to sertraline treatment
- Authors
- Freeman EW, Sammel MD, Lin H et al.
- Journal
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Year
- 2011
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 447
- What was tested
- Sertraline for three menstrual cycles
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/aog.0b013e318236edf2
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