Survey study, 1991
Is PMS a psychiatric disorder or a gynecological disorder?
PMS is a gynecological disorder tied to ovulation and the corpus luteum, since symptoms stop when ovulation stops. Women with 'pure PMS' have less psychiatric history than other groups.
What they did
Researchers classified women into three groups: Pure PMS (symptoms only before menstruation), Premenstrual aggravation (symptoms worse before menstruation), and Non-PMS (no cycle-related symptoms). They compared psychiatric history and personality traits between groups and observed what happened in women who did not ovulate and in postmenopausal women on hormone therapy.
What they found
The 'Pure PMS' group had significantly less neurosis and lower psychiatric history. In women with anovulatory cycles (no ovulation), the cyclical symptom pattern disappeared. GnRH-agonists, which stop ovulation, stopped the cyclical symptoms. Postmenopausal women on estradiol/progestagen therapy developed PMS-like symptoms when progestagen was added.
What it means for you
The corpus luteum and ovulation are central to PMS symptoms, suggesting it is fundamentally a gynecological condition. Psychological factors influence how much symptoms bother women. The study was cross-sectional and observational, so it cannot prove cause and effect.
3
subgroups identified
Anovul cycles
stopped cyclical symptoms
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome--psychiatric or gynaecological disorder?
- Authors
- Bäckström T, Hammarbäck S
- Journal
- Annals of medicine
- Year
- 1991
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- Classification into subgroups and observation of natural cycles and treatment responses.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3109/07853899109148094
Topics
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