Study, 1991
Do birth control pills reduce premenstrual symptoms?
A review of medical records found little difference in premenstrual symptoms between women taking low-dose birth control pills and women not taking them.
Early or limited evidence Women taking low-dose birth control pills and women not taking pills
What they did
Researchers looked back at medical records of women taking low-dose birth control pills and compared a wide range of premenstrual symptoms to women not taking pills.
What they found
Little difference was found between the two groups in any type of premenstrual symptom measured.
What it means for you
Low-dose birth control pills do not appear to reduce premenstrual symptoms much, which matches what older studies of higher-dose pills found. Since this study looked back at existing medical records without specific sample numbers, we cannot be completely sure the results apply to all women.
About the study
- Original title
- Frequency and severity of premenstrual symptoms in women taking birth control pills
- Authors
- Yuk VJ, Cumming CE, Fox EE et al.
- Journal
- Gynecologic and obstetric investigation
- Year
- 1991
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Low-dose birth control pills
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1159/000293098