Case-control study, 2015
Do women with fibromyalgia have more premenstrual syndrome and period pain than other women?
Yes. Women with fibromyalgia were significantly more likely to have PMS (42% vs 25%) and period pain (41% vs 28%) than healthy women.
What they did
Researchers compared 98 women diagnosed with fibromyalgia to 102 healthy women of similar age. They assessed both groups for PMS by checking for symptoms in the 5 days before menstruation, and for period pain lasting at least 2 days during menstruation. They measured pain levels and depression.
What they found
42% of women with fibromyalgia had PMS compared to 25% of the control group (p=0.03). 41% of women with fibromyalgia had period pain compared to 28% of the control group (p=0.03). Among women with fibromyalgia, those with higher symptom severity scores and higher depression scores were at higher risk of PMS and period pain.
What it means for you
Women with fibromyalgia are more likely to experience PMS and period pain, possibly because of shared factors like pain sensitivity and mood. However, this study only compared the two groups at one time and cannot prove that fibromyalgia causes PMS.
42%
PMS in fibromyalgia patients
25%
PMS in healthy controls
p=0.03
Statistical significance
About the study
- Original title
- [Evaluating the relation of premenstrual syndrome and primary dysmenorrhea in women diagnosed with fibromyalgia]
- Authors
- Terzi R, Terzi H, Kale A
- Journal
- Revista brasileira de reumatologia
- Year
- 2015
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 98
- What was tested
- None (observational study)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.rbr.2014.12.009
Topics
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