--- title: How should doctors treat PMS and PMDD? | Niyora description: Treatment should be tailored to each woman's symptoms and life stage. Options include therapy, herbs, antidepressants, birth control to stop ovulation, and wa url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/interdisciplinary-consensus-on-management-of-premenstrual-disorders-in-2019/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How should doctors treat PMS and PMDD? Guideline, 2019 # How should doctors treat PMS and PMDD? Treatment should be tailored to each woman's symptoms and life stage. Options include therapy, herbs, antidepressants, birth control to stop ovulation, and water pills. Strong study design Women throughout their reproductive years ## What they did Swiss experts from multiple disciplines created a clinical management algorithm for PMS and PMDD that considers a woman's reproductive stage and symptoms. ## What they found Approximately 30 to 40 percent of women report premenstrual symptoms that need treatment, while 3 to 8 percent have PMDD. Symptoms can be mainly physical, mainly psychological (mood swings, irritability, anxiety, depression), or mixed. Treatment options include cognitive behavioral therapy, alternative therapies, antidepressants, medications to stop ovulation, and diuretics. In Switzerland, only chasteberry and progesterone are officially approved for PMS treatment. ## What it means for you Many treatment options exist and should be matched to your symptoms, age, plans for pregnancy, health history, and preferences. Regular follow-up is essential. 30-40% of women with premenstrual symptoms needing treatment 3-8% of women with PMDD ## About the study Original title Interdisciplinary consensus on management of premenstrual disorders in switzerland Authors Petra Stute, Christine Bodmer, Ulrike Ehlert et al. Journal Reproductive Endocrinology Year 2019 Study design Guideline Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.18370/2309-4117.2019.48.26-31](https://doi.org/10.18370/2309-4117.2019.48.26-31) Original abstract Premenstrual disorders (PMD) can affect women throughout their entire reproductive years. In 2016, an interdisciplinary expert meeting of general gynecologists, gynecological endocrinologists, psychiatrists and psychologists from Switzerland was held to provide an interdisciplinary algorithm on PMD management taking reproductive stages into account.Approximately 30–40% of women report premenstrual syndrome symptoms that require treatment, while 3–8% of women during their reproductive years suffer from PMDD.The core PMD can be subdivided into predominantly somatic symptoms, predominantly psychological symptoms or mixed somatic and psychological symptoms. The most frequent psychological symptoms are mood swings, irritability, anxiety and depression.The Swiss algorithm for PMD management seeks to incorporate the structural level of medical care (primary/secondary care) as well as varying content levels (diagnostics, treatment) depending on the reproductive stage of a woman (reproductive phase, menopausal transition). Primary clinical diagnostics (personal history, prospective symptom assessment) should be performed by the primary PMD care provider. If first- and second-line treatment is not successful, the patient should be refered to a secondary PMD care provider, preferably to a gynecological endocrinologist. A psychiatrist is the preferred secondary PMD care provider if a woman presents with variant PMD with psychiatric co-morbidity. Clinical diagnostics will then be completed by a serum laboratory work-up and eventually Treatment options include cognitive behavioral therapy, alternative therapy, antidepressants, ovulation suppression and diuretics. Treatment choice depends on prevalent PMD symptoms, (reproductive) age, family planning, cardiovascular risk factors, comorbidities, comedication and the woman’s preference. Regular follow-ups are mandatory. In Switzerland, except for chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus L.) and progesterone none of the following therapeutic options is approved for PMD treatment. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)[Cognitive behavioral therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-cbt/)[Vitex agnus-castus (chasteberry)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-vitex/)[Diuretics and other drugs](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diuretics-other-drugs/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Review, 2015 What do we know about PMS and PMDD and how are they treated? Systematic review, 2013 Does Vitex (chaste tree) help PMS and PMDD symptoms? Guideline, 2017 How should premenstrual disorders be managed? Review, 2018 What causes PMS and PMDD, and how are they treated? Review, 2017 What causes PMDD and what are the best treatments? Randomised trial, 2003 What treatments work for PMS and PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗