Study, 2002
Which PMS treatments have good scientific evidence?
Calcium at 1200 mg daily and certain antidepressants have good evidence of working. Many popular treatments like vitamin B6, evening primrose oil, and birth control pills lack strong evidence. Some treatments like progesterone do not work.
What they did
Doctors searched medical databases from 1990 to 2001 for studies of PMS treatments. They reviewed the Cochrane Library and consulted with experts. They rated how strong the scientific evidence was for each treatment.
What they found
Calcium at 1200 mg daily and certain antidepressants had good evidence of being effective. Many other treatments had unclear or weak evidence including vitamin B6, evening primrose oil, birth control pills, exercise, stress reduction, therapy, spironolactone, magnesium, anti-inflammatory pain medicines, hormone treatments, and carbohydrate-rich diets. Progesterone and bromocriptine do not work.
What it means for you
Calcium is the most proven treatment for mild to moderate PMS and is a reasonable first choice. Certain antidepressants work well for severe mood symptoms or if other treatments fail. Many popular treatments lack strong evidence but might be worth trying for their other health benefits. This review covered studies through 2001, so newer evidence may exist.
1200
mg daily of calcium carbonate
1990-2001
years of studies reviewed
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome. Evidence-based treatment in family practice
- Authors
- Douglas S
- Journal
- Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien
- Year
- 2002
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Multiple treatments reviewed including calcium, antidepressants, vitamins, supplements, exercise, and hormonal approaches
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12489244/
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