---
title: Do PMS symptoms stay better after stopping progesterone suppository treatment?
description: Partially. Symptoms improved from baseline but worsened from the end of treatment. Only 27 percent of women were still taking PMS medications a year later.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/course-of-premenstrual-syndrome-symptom-severity-after-treatment-1992/
---

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- Do PMS symptoms stay better after stopping progesterone suppository treatment?

Randomised trial, 1992

# Do PMS symptoms stay better after stopping progesterone suppository treatment?

Partially. Symptoms improved from baseline but worsened from the end of treatment. Only 27 percent of women were still taking PMS medications a year later.

 Moderate study design

129 women with PMS, followed up about 1 year after progesterone treatment study ended

## What they did

Follow-up to a prior treatment study. Originally, 129 women with confirmed PMS received progesterone suppositories or placebo. About 1 year after that study ended, researchers contacted the women by telephone to ask about their current PMS symptoms and medication use.

## What they found

Only 35 of the 129 women (27 percent) were taking medications for PMS at follow-up. Symptom severity at follow-up was less than at baseline but greater than at the end of the original treatment study.

## What it means for you

Some improvement may persist after stopping treatment, but symptoms partially return. The authors suggest that support, validation, and education during treatment may have helped, and losing these things when treatment ended may explain the return of symptoms. Only 35 of 129 women were tracked at follow-up.

129

women in original study

35

followed up at 1 year

27%

still taking PMS medications at follow-up

## About the study

Original title Course of premenstrual syndrome symptom severity after treatment Authors Freeman EW, Rickels K, Sondheimer SJ Journal The American journal of psychiatry Year 1992 Study design Randomised trial Participants 35 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1176/ajp.149.4.531](https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.149.4.531)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Estradiol, progesterone and hormone therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormone-therapy/)

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