Does Cyclic Hormonal Contraception Alleviate Premenstrual Symptoms?

Cyclic hormonal contraception may attenuate premenstrual symptoms, but that the timing of symptoms is similar regardless of hormonal contraception use.

Many women experience premenstrual symptoms such as depression, anger and irritability. The results of a new study designed to compare the severity and timing of perimenstrual symptoms among women who do or do not use cyclic hormonal contraception are reported in Journal of Women’s Health.

The article entitled "The Influence of Cyclic Hormonal Contraception on Expression of Premenstrual Syndrome" is coauthored by Journal of Women’s Health Editor-in-Chief Susan Kornstein, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA, Kimberly Yonkers and Margaret Altemus, Yale University School of Medicine, and Brianna Cameron and Ralitza Gueorguieva, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT.

Premenstrual Symptoms Linked to Elevated Levels of C-Reactive Protein
Women with premenstrual symptoms (PMS) have elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease risk.

‘Better understanding the psychological and physical effects of hormonal contraception could help guide clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).’

The researchers report changes in menstrual cycle symptom scores for variables such as depression, anger, irritability, and physical symptoms between cyclic hormonal contraception users and nonusers. They found that cyclic hormonal contraception may attenuate premenstrual symptoms, but that the timing of symptoms is similar regardless of whether the subjects used hormonal contraception.

Better understanding the psychological and physical effects of hormonal contraception could help guide clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

"Because women taking hormonal contraceptives are routinely excluded from studies of PMS and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), this study provides a valuable examination of the influence of exogenous hormones on premenstrual symptom expression and response to treatment," says Robert Downs, Deputy Editor of Journal of Women’s Health, Richmond, VA.

Link Between PMS and Mood Swings in Women Questioned in New Research
A group of Canadian researchers has rejected the widely held notion that pre-menstrual syndrome is responsible for the bad mood of women at certain times of the month.

Source-Eurekalert

Expert Highlights Reasons for PMS
Premenstrual tension is nature's way for women to get rid of their infertile male partners, says a medical expert.

PMS Before Menopause may Not be a Harbinger of Hot Flashes
New research suggests that having premenstrual syndrome (PMS) before menopause does not mean women will be troubled by hot flashes afterward.