--- title: Can long-acting bronchodilators prevent asthma from getting worse before the period? description: Yes. In women whose asthma worsens before their period, salmeterol given for 10 days before menstruation completely prevented worsening in 54% of them and par url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/long-acting-bronchodilators-in-premenstrual-exacerbation-of-asthma-2001/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Can long-acting bronchodilators prevent asthma from getting worse before the period? Randomised trial, 2001 # Can long-acting bronchodilators prevent asthma from getting worse before the period? Yes. In women whose asthma worsens before their period, salmeterol given for 10 days before menstruation completely prevented worsening in 54% of them and partially prevented it in 15%. Moderate study design 67 women with mild-to-severe asthma on inhaled glucocorticosteroids ## What they did 67 women with mild-to-severe asthma were tracked for 3 menstrual cycles. The 13 women whose peak expiratory flow dropped 20% or more before their period then took either salmeterol 50 mcg twice daily or placebo for 10 days before their period in a randomized, double-blind crossover design. ## What they found 13 women (19.4% of the total) had premenstrual asthma worsening with a mean peak flow decrease of 27%. When taking salmeterol, 7 patients (54%) had complete relief, 2 (15%) had partial relief, and 4 had no effect. Only 1 patient showed partial relief with placebo. Rescue inhaler use decreased in those who responded to salmeterol. ## What it means for you About 1 in 5 women on steroid inhalers have asthma that worsens before their period. Long-acting bronchodilators timed to the menstrual cycle help about two-thirds of these women, completely preventing the problem in half of them. This is a practical strategy for managing premenstrual asthma. 13 (19.4%) Women with premenstrual asthma worsening 27% Mean decrease in peak expiratory flow 54% Complete prevention with salmeterol ## About the study Original title Long-acting bronchodilators in premenstrual exacerbation of asthma Authors Magadle R, Berar-Yanay N, Weiner P Journal Respiratory medicine Year 2001 Study design Randomised trial Participants 67 What was tested Salmeterol 50 mcg twice daily for 10 days before period vs placebo Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1053/rmed.2001.1132](https://doi.org/10.1053/rmed.2001.1132) ## Topics [Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) 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, 2026 How do social factors like stigma and unequal care responsibilities affect premenstrual symptoms? Study, 2010 Does pregnancy or menstruation affect OCD symptoms? Survey study, 2024 Does asthma get worse around your period in teenagers? Cohort study, 2014 Do lifestyle and nutrition affect menstrual symptoms? Survey study, 2005 Does the menstrual cycle affect obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms? Survey study, 1997 How common is asthma worsening related to the menstrual cycle? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗