Study, 1985
Does adding progestagen to estrogen cause PMS-like symptoms?
Yes. Women who took estrogen plus progestagen developed cyclical mood and physical symptoms similar to PMS, while women on estrogen alone did not. Symptoms appeared 1 to 3 days after progestagen was added.
What they did
Researchers recruited 22 postmenopausal women needing estrogen treatment and divided them into two groups of 11. One group received estrogen cream only (3 mg per day for 21 days followed by 7 days off). The other group received the same estrogen but also took progestagen during the last 11 days of treatment. All women kept daily records of mood, physical signs and other feelings for 1 to 6 months.
What they found
The group taking estrogen alone showed no cyclical changes in mood or physical signs. The group taking estrogen plus progestagen showed clear cyclical changes in both mood and physical symptoms, with the worst symptoms in the final days of progestagen treatment. Negative mood changes started 1 to 3 days after progestagen was added.
What it means for you
The results suggest progestagen may trigger the cyclical symptoms seen in PMS. However, this study was done in postmenopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy, not younger women with natural menstrual cycles, so we cannot be sure the same mechanism explains PMS in other women.
22
women total
11
women in each group
1 to 3 days
time for mood to worsen after progestagen started
About the study
- Original title
- Cyclical mood changes as in the premenstrual tension syndrome during sequential estrogen-progestagen postmenopausal replacement therapy
- Authors
- Hammarbäck S, Bäckström T, Holst J et al.
- Journal
- Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica
- Year
- 1985
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 11
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3109/00016348509155154
Topics
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