--- title: Do oral contraceptive pills increase the risk of premenstrual syndrome symptoms? description: Yes. Women taking oral contraceptive pills had about 21 percent higher risk of premenstrual symptoms than non-users, and this effect was stronger in women age url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/oral-contraceptive-use-and-premenstrual-syndrome-among-sexually-active-female-2020/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do oral contraceptive pills increase the risk of premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Survey study, 2020 # Do oral contraceptive pills increase the risk of premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Yes. Women taking oral contraceptive pills had about 21 percent higher risk of premenstrual symptoms than non-users, and this effect was stronger in women age 25 and older, where the risk increased by 32 percent. Early or limited evidence 424 sexually active female university students in Cameroon, median age 23 years ## What they did Cross-sectional survey of 424 sexually active female university students in Cameroon in July and August 2018 who completed questionnaires about contraceptive use and premenstrual symptoms. ## What they found 77.8 percent of the 424 women reported premenstrual symptoms before their last period. The most common symptoms were breast tenderness (55.7 percent), acne or pimples (39.2 percent), and abdominal pain (31.1 percent). Current oral contraceptive users had 21 percent higher risk of PMS compared to non-users (PR equals 1.21, 95 percent CI 1.09 to 1.32, p less than 0.001). In women age 25 or older, the risk was 32 percent higher (APR equals 1.32, 95 percent CI 1.12 to 1.56, p equals 0.001). ## What it means for you Oral contraceptive use was associated with higher rates of premenstrual symptoms, which contradicts the common belief that birth control pills help PMS. The effect was stronger in older young women. We cannot prove from this study that the pills cause PMS because it is cross-sectional. Limitations: self-reported symptoms, one country, one university. 424 Female university students 77.8% Reported premenstrual symptoms 1.21 Risk ratio for PMS in pill users versus non-users ## About the study Original title Oral contraceptive use and premenstrual syndrome among sexually active female university students in Cameroon Authors Akoku DA, Vukugah TA, Tihnje MA et al. Journal The Pan African medical journal Year 2020 Study design Survey study Participants 424 What was tested Oral contraceptive pill use Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2020.36.333.25078](https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2020.36.333.25078) Original abstract Introduction: premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a prevalent health problem affecting women of reproductive age and some young women use oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) to prevent unwanted pregnancy. However, the association between OCP use and the experience of symptoms of PMS has not been studied in Cameroon. We examined the association between the use of OCPs and PMS among female university students in Cameroon. Methods: we used data extracted from a larger study on sexual and reproductive health that was conducted between July and August 2018 among female university students at the University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon. A pre-tested, validated and paper-based self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. We extracted data (demographic and health characteristics, contraceptive use and experience of PMS) for the 424 sexually active students who participated in the larger study. We used Poisson regression analysis to examine the association between OCP use and PMS and conducted stratified analysis to determine effect modification. The level of statistical significance was set at p≤0.05. Results: the median age of the 424 sexually active female university students was 23 years (IQR=21-25). About 77.8% of participants self-reported to have experienced symptoms of PMS prior to their last menstrual period. The most commonly reported symptoms of PMS were breast tenderness (55.7%), acne/pimples (39.2%) and abdominal pain (31.1%). After adjusting for confounders in multivariate analysis, we found a statistically significant relationship between the use of OCPs and experience of symptoms of PMS. Current OCP users had a slightly increased risk (PR=1.21; 95%CI, 1.09-1.32, p<0.001) of developing symptoms of PMS compared to non-pill users. We found that age modified the effect of this association. Among older students (≥25 years), the direction of the effect was strongly positive and statistically significant (APR=1.32; 95%CI, 1.12-1.56, p=0.001). Conclusion: the proportion of female university students who reported to have experienced symptoms of PMS prior to their last menstrual period was high. The use of OCPs was positively associated with the risk of developing symptoms of PMS and this relationship was modified by age. Further studies in Cameroon and other sub-Saharan African countries are required to understand this relationship. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Bloating, breast tenderness and physical symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-physical-symptoms/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) 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 Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Cohort study, 2017 How common is PMS in high school students, and what symptoms and problems does it cause? 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