Study, 1991
Do women who've had a hysterectomy still get premenstrual symptoms?
Yes. Most women who have had a hysterectomy but still have ovaries continue to have cyclic mood and physical symptoms. However, symptoms clustering late in the cycle (like traditional PMS) were less common than in women who still menstruate.
What they did
36 women who had a hysterectomy (uterus removed, ovaries kept) recorded eight mood states and five physical symptoms daily during 109 ovarian cycles. Researchers analyzed when symptoms occurred.
What they found
Significant mood changes happened in 71% of cycles and significant physical symptom changes in 69% of cycles. Late-cycle symptoms (like traditional PMS) happened in only 36% of cycles: nine women never had them, 22 had them sometimes, and 5 had them consistently. Symptoms clustered around 85% through the cycle for moods and 83% for physical symptoms.
What it means for you
Women without a uterus can still have cyclic mood and physical symptoms tied to their ovaries. However, the timing is different. symptoms tend to come earlier than they do in women who still menstruate. This suggests menstruation itself might trigger or worsen the symptoms late in the cycle.
36
women studied
71%
of cycles with significant mood changes
69%
of cycles with significant physical symptom changes
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome in hysterectomized women: mood and physical symptom cyclicity
- Authors
- Metcalf MG, Livesey JH, Wells JE et al.
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic research
- Year
- 1991
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 36
- What was tested
- None. Women recorded their symptoms daily.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(91)90050-x
Topics
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