Non-randomised trial, 1997
Does estrogen help asthma symptoms that worsen before periods?
Yes. Taking estradiol significantly improved asthma symptoms and breathing difficulty in women with premenstrual asthma, though this very small study needs confirmation.
What they did
14 women with mild to moderate asthma tracked their cough, wheezing, breathlessness, and chest tightness every morning for 9 weeks using rating scales and peak flow measurements. Researchers also measured their breathing response, blood hormone levels, and other markers throughout their natural cycle and during treatment with extra estradiol hormone.
What they found
All 14 women had at least a 20% decrease in peak flow or increase in symptoms premenstrually during the study. Asthma symptoms and peak flow were significantly worse on day 26 (lowest estrogen) compared to day 13 (highest estrogen) of the menstrual cycle (p < 0.05). After estradiol administration, asthma symptoms and dyspnea index scores were significantly improved (p < 0.05) compared to baseline.
What it means for you
Estrogen levels are associated with asthma worsening around the period, and giving extra estrogen improved symptoms. This is a very small study with no control group, so results need confirmation in larger trials.
14
women completed study
20%
decrease in peak flow in all women
9 weeks
study duration
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual asthma: the effect of estrogen on symptoms, pulmonary function, and beta 2-receptors
- Authors
- Chandler MH, Schuldheisz S, Phillips BA et al.
- Journal
- Pharmacotherapy
- Year
- 1997
- Study design
- Non-randomised trial
- Participants
- 5
- What was tested
- Estradiol hormone treatment
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9085312/
Topics
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