Cohort study, 2003
Do symptoms change across the menstrual cycle and does birth control affect this?
Symptoms are lowest in the early cycle phase and increase before and during menstruation. Over 40 percent of women show a 30 percent increase in symptoms before their period. Birth control use does not change whether women experience these changes.
What they did
181 women aged 30 on average tracked symptoms daily for 70 days using a symptom questionnaire. Researchers compared women taking monophasic birth control, triphasic birth control, or no birth control.
What they found
All symptom types changed across the cycle. Symptoms were lowest in the early phase and increased before menstruation. Body symptoms peaked during menstruation, fluid retention peaked before. Over 40 percent of women showed 30 percent increases in symptoms before their period. Close to 50 percent had mood increases, over 70 percent had fluid retention increases. Monophasic birth control users reported higher fluid retention and body symptoms than triphasic users. Birth control did not change the overall symptom pattern.
What it means for you
Most women experience symptom changes tied to their menstrual cycle regardless of birth control use. These changes reflect normal hormone patterns. Different birth control formulations may result in different symptom levels.
181
Women tracked
70
Days of tracking
40%
With 30% premenstrual symptom increase
About the study
- Original title
- Prospectively reported symptom change across the menstrual cycle in users and non-users of oral contraceptives
- Authors
- Ross C, Coleman G, Stojanovska C
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology
- Year
- 2003
- Study design
- Cohort study
- What was tested
- Menstrual cycle phase and oral contraceptive type comparison
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3109/01674820309042797
Topics
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