Do hormonal birth control pills reduce PMS symptoms?

Introduction: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to the cyclic occurrence of a set of disturbing physical, emotional or behavioral alterations that are of sufficient severity to interfere with interpersonal relations and routine life. Normal variations in gonadal estrogen and progesterone lead to biochemical reactions in the brain, resulting in PMS symptoms. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of PMS and PMDD signs among married women of fertile age (MWFA) based on the methods of birth control. Method and materials: In a descriptive study, a number of 400 married women referring to 20 family healthcare clinics that use contraceptive methods were recruited and PMS questionnaire were administered to them. Results: From 400 subjects, 205 took oral contraceptive pills (hormonal methods of contraception) and 195 used other birth control methods (non-hormonal method). A number of 345 subjects (86.25%) at least experienced one PMS symptom and 55 subjects (13.75%) did not report any symptoms. Of those who use hormonal contraceptives (HCs), 182 (88.8%) reported PMS symptoms and 23(11.2) lacked any symptoms. Conclusion: About 86% of the subjects showed moderate to severe of PMS symptoms. Although using hormonal contraceptive method can theoretically reduce PMS symptoms, such effect was not observed in this study. The results of this research should be generalized with caution. Future studies are suggested.

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