Review, 1986
How should PMS be diagnosed and treated?
PMS is diagnosed based on recurring symptoms with a symptom-free week in the first half of the cycle. Treatment should start with lifestyle changes like diet and exercise, with medication added if these do not work.
What they did
This was a review article discussing the definition, classification, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of PMS. The authors presented guidelines for how to manage PMS in clinical practice.
What they found
PMS involves physical and emotional symptoms that repeat each cycle. Proposed causes include hormone imbalances between estrogen and progesterone, vitamin B6 deficiency, low blood sugar, excess prostaglandin, and changes in a hormone called aldosterone. Conservative treatments should be tried first, including diet changes, exercise, stress management, sleep improvement, and social support. If these do not work, medications such as progesterone, vitamin B6, bromocriptine, or diuretics might help.
What it means for you
This provides a framework for understanding PMS and how to approach treatment by starting with lifestyle changes first. However, this is from 1986 and the authors acknowledge that research on PMS treatments was limited. Better evidence may exist now.
About the study
- Original title
- Managing the premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Smith MA, Youngkin EQ
- Journal
- Clinical pharmacy
- Year
- 1986
- Study design
- Review
- What was tested
- Various non-medication and medication approaches to treating PMS
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/43.11.2893
Topics
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