Non-randomised trial, 1983
What are the main problems with how PMS is studied and treated?
PMS researchers do not agree on which symptoms count or how to diagnose it. Most treatment studies were poorly designed without proper placebo controls, and media attention has created unrealistic hopes for a cure.
What they did
Review of research and clinical literature examining PMS definition, treatment approaches, and the impact of media coverage.
What they found
No consensus among researchers on which symptoms count, how many are needed, when they occur, whether psychiatric disorders relate to PMS, or whether PMS is one syndrome or many. Most treatment trials lacked adequate controls for placebo effects. Media popularization of PMS raised collective consciousness but may have created premature hopes for a cure.
What it means for you
PMS is real and common but not yet well-defined or well-understood scientifically. Be cautious about treatments advertised as miracle cures. The main limit is that this is a 1983 review article, not new data.
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome: a selective review
- Authors
- Abplanalp JM
- Journal
- Women & health
- Year
- 1983
- Study design
- Non-randomised trial
- What was tested
- Various (reviewed in literature)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1300/j013v08n02_06