--- title: Do birth control pills change PMS symptoms? | Niyora description: Birth control pills reduced menstrual pain and breast tenderness. However, they didn't clearly help with food cravings or clumsiness, and may have actually ma url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-impact-of-oral-contraceptives-on-the-experience-of-perimenstrual-mood-1993/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do birth control pills change PMS symptoms? Study, 1993 # Do birth control pills change PMS symptoms? Birth control pills reduced menstrual pain and breast tenderness. However, they didn't clearly help with food cravings or clumsiness, and may have actually made negative mood less likely to improve during menstruation. Moderate study design 276 women on birth control pills and 276 women not on birth control pills, all with PMS ## What they did Researchers compared 276 women taking birth control pills (171 on combined pills, 105 on triphasic pills) with 276 women not taking pills. All women said they had PMS. Groups were matched for age, whether they'd had children, and marital status. Women rated 27 symptoms across three cycle phases. ## What they found Women on birth control pills reported significantly less menstrual pain and less breast tenderness before their period. There was no clear difference between groups in food cravings or clumsiness. Women on birth control pills showed less improvement in negative mood during menstruation. ## What it means for you Birth control pills can reduce some physical PMS symptoms like pain and breast tenderness. However, they may not help with mood changes and might even make it harder for negative mood to improve during menstruation. More research is needed to understand the effects on mood. 276 women on birth control pills 276 women not on birth control pills 27 symptoms rated ## About the study Original title The impact of oral contraceptives on the experience of perimenstrual mood, clumsiness, food craving and other symptoms Authors Bancroft J, Rennie D Journal Journal of psychosomatic research Year 1993 Study design Study What was tested Taking birth control pills (171 combined type, 105 triphasic type) versus no pills. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(93)90086-u](https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(93)90086-u) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Appetite and food cravings](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-food-cravings/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Randomised trial, 2015 Which birth control pill better reduces PMS and menstrual symptoms: nomegestrol acetate or drospirenone? Survey study, 2021 How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect women's menstrual cycles and symptoms? Study, 1993 Are the symptoms of PMS different from heavy periods and severe period pain? Survey study, 2025 What are menstrual cycle patterns in elite female basketball players? Cohort study, 1994 Who finds cervical laser surgery painful? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗