Study, 1994
Can we measure how well treatments work for individual women with severe PMS?
Yes. Some women's symptoms improved to a mild, cyclic pattern while others remained unpredictable, showing that treatment affects different women differently.
What they did
Five women with severe PMS tracked their symptoms daily across seven menstrual cycles. Baseline symptom patterns were recorded before treatment, then compared to patterns after treatment.
What they found
Three baseline symptom patterns emerged: a classic PMS pattern, a premenstrual magnification pattern (symptoms worsen before the period) and a social week pattern. After treatment, two response types appeared: a normalized response where symptom severity declined to mild and cyclic, and an unstable response where symptoms remained reactive.
What it means for you
Women respond differently to PMS treatment. Some improve more than others while some don't stabilize. This helps doctors understand what outcomes to expect for individual patients. The main limitation is the very small sample of only five women.
5
women
7
menstrual cycles tracked
2
treatment response patterns
About the study
- Original title
- Evaluating therapeutic change in symptom severity at the level of the individual woman experiencing severe PMS
- Authors
- Taylor DL
- Journal
- Image--the journal of nursing scholarship
- Year
- 1994
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- A treatment intervention for severe PMS
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1547-5069.1994.tb00290.x
Topics
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