Cohort study, 2019
Does having PTSD or past trauma raise the risk of developing PMS later?
Yes. Women with trauma exposure or PTSD symptoms were more likely to develop PMS over time, and the more PTSD symptoms a woman had, the higher her risk.
What they did
Researchers followed 2924 women aged 27-44 for 14 years in a longitudinal cohort study, looking at whether trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms at the start predicted new cases of PMS later on.
What they found
Compared with women who had no trauma exposure, risk of PMS rose step by step with trauma and PTSD severity: trauma with no PTSD symptoms OR 1.31 (95% CI 1.05-1.63); 1-3 PTSD symptoms OR 1.71 (95% CI 1.33-2.20); 4-5 PTSD symptoms OR 2.90 (95% CI 2.07-4.05); 6-7 PTSD symptoms OR 3.42 (95% CI 2.18-5.36). The trend was statistically significant (p < .001).
What it means for you
Trauma and PTSD symptoms may be an important risk factor for later PMS, with worse PTSD symptoms linked to higher PMS risk. This is an observational study, so it shows an association over time, not direct proof that PTSD causes PMS, and other unmeasured factors could play a role.
2924
Women followed
14
Years of follow-up
3.42
OR for highest PTSD symptom group (6-7 symptoms)
About the study
- Original title
- Posttraumatic stress disorder and development of premenstrual syndrome in a longitudinal cohort of women
- Authors
- Jung SJ, Roberts AL, Chocano-Bedoya P et al.
- Journal
- Archives of women's mental health
- Year
- 2019
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 2,924
- What was tested
- No treatment tested; this study measured trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms as risk factors for later PMS.
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s00737-018-0916-0
Topics
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