Survey study, 2021
Is premenstrual syndrome linked to heart and metabolic problems like high blood pressure?
Yes, about 1 in 10 women with PMS have high blood pressure, and one study found PMS was associated with 1.4 times higher risk of developing high blood pressure. Limited research exists on how PMS relates to blood sugar levels.
What they did
Narrative review of recent data on the relationship between premenstrual syndrome and cardio-metabolic conditions including high blood pressure and obesity.
What they found
Approximately 1 in 10 women with PMS have high blood pressure. Even with normal baseline blood pressure, menstrual cycle-related symptoms correlate with higher blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) during the luteal phase versus the follicular phase. One study found PMS was associated with a hazard ratio of 1.4 (95% CI 1.2 to 1.6) for developing high blood pressure, independent of age, smoking status and body mass index. For blood sugar, there is limited data with only small studies showing glucose and insulin differences during menstrual cycle phases. PMS seems more frequent in obese individuals but not all studies agree.
What it means for you
PMS may be linked to heart and metabolic health problems, but we don't know if PMS causes these or if both conditions just happen to occur together. Food behavior changes are part of PMS. The main limit is this is a narrative (non-systematic) review with limited data on some topics.
1 in 10
women with PMS have high blood pressure
1.4
hazard ratio for developing high blood pressure with PMS
95% CI 1.2-1.6
confidence interval for hazard ratio
About the study
- Original title
- Managementul tulburărilor metabolice la femei diagnosticate cu sindrom premenstrual
- Authors
- Eugenia Nedeltcheva Petrova, Mara Carşote, Adina Mariana Ghemigian et al.
- Journal
- Management in Health
- Year
- 2021
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5233/jh7deh75
Topics
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