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The focus of
this research database is on how stress affects women's health,
and
options for treatment using mind-body therapies.
If you are not a
health care professional, see new "Medical Glossary" below.
To obtain full
summaries of the articles, see "How to Get Abstracts" below.
PMS (Pre-Menstrual Syndrome)
Physiology
Treatment
Physiology
11253256 JA
Mood disorders and the
reproductive cycle
Women experience significantly
more mood disorders than men. Changing levels of reproductive hormones
throughout women's life cycles can have a direct or indirect effect on
mood via interactions with neuroendocrine, neurotransmitter and circadian
systems, as well as responses to drugs, light therapy and sleep
deprivation.
2000 J Gend Specif Med 3;5:53-8
Parry, B. L. and Haynes, P.
9482435
JA
Understanding premenstrual
syndrome
Concise review of recent
research suggesting that women with PMS have decreased levels of
allopregnanolone, a psychoactive metabolite of progesterone.
Allopregnanolone combines with GABA receptors to upregulate serotonin.
This can explain why psychoactive drugs help women with PMS, and why
progesterone studies are conflicting--the problem may not lie with
progesterone levels, but progesterone metabolism.
1998 Lancet 351;9101:465-6
Berga, S. L.
10994179
JA
Prevalence of sexual abuse
history in a sample of women seeking treatment for premenstrual syndrome
Of 42 Californian women
identified as having severe PMS, 95% reported at least one attempted
sexual abuse event, in 85% of which women sustained physical threat or
harm. These women were abused earlier in life and more frequently than
other populations of abused women; 65% had PTSD, and 83% had never
disclosed the abuse to a health practitioner. Implications for patient
screening discussed.
2000 J Psychosom Obstet
Gynaecol 21;2:69-80
Golding, J. M., Taylor, D. L.,
Menard, L., and King, M. J.
11076337
JA
Changes in cerebral blood flow
associated with premenstrual syndrome: a preliminary study
Women without PMS did not show
any differences in brain blood flow with different times of cycle. Women
with PMS showed significantly decreased blood flow to the temporal lobes
during the premenstrual phase, which correlated with levels of depression.
2000 J Psychosom Obstet
Gynaecol 21;3:157-65
Buchpiguel, C., Alavi, A.,
Crawford, D., Freeman, E., and Newberg, A.
8532823
JA
Thyroid axis function during
the menstrual cycle in women with premenstrual syndrome
Women with PMS showed
significantly greater variability in thyroid hormones during the luteal
phase, suggesting that for a subset of women with PMS, thyroid axis
abnormalities may contribute to their disorder.
1995 Psychoneuroendocrinology
20;4:395-403
Girdler, S. S., Pedersen, C.
A., and Light, K. C.
10883559
JA
Psychophysiological, somatic,
and affective changes across the menstrual cycle in women with panic
disorder
Women with panic disorder had
significantly increased severity in PMS symptoms and physiologic measures
of stress.
2000 J Consult Clin Psychol
68;3:425-31
Sigmon, S. T., Dorhofer, D. M.,
Rohan, K. J., Hotovy, L. A., Boulard, N. E., and Fink, C. M.
11755220 JA
Menstrual and circadian
variations in time perception in healthy women and women with premenstrual
syndrome
Women were observed to have
certain circadian and menstrual cycle variations in time perception that
were not present in women with PMS.
2001 Neurosci Res 41;4:339-44
Morofushi, M., Shinohara, K.,
and Kimura, F.
[Top]
Treatment
11041381
R,T
Non-antidepressant treatment of
premenstrual syndrome
Review of studies suggests
efficacy for calcium, cognitive therapy, light therapy and tryptophan.
Further studies of possibly beneficial therapies are suggested for: diet,
exercise, relaxation, magnesium, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,
diuretics, opiate antagonists, and alternative therapies.
2000 J Clin Psychiatry 61 Suppl
12;22-7
Pearlstein, T. and Steiner, M.
10907210 RCT
Premenstrual symptoms are
relieved by massage therapy
Massage therapy once a week for
five weeks improved immediate short term anxiety, depressed mood and pain
in PMS patients. Long term there was a reduction in pain and water
retention.
2000 J Psychosom Obstet
Gynaecol 21;1:9-15
Hernandez-Reif, M., Martinez,
A., Field, T., Quintero, O., Hart, S., and Burman, I.
8409353 JA
Menstrual-cycle lengthening and
reduction in premenstrual distress through guided imagery
15 out of an original group of
30 healthy college students listened several times a week for three months
to a prepared guided imagery tape. The tape consisted of progressive
muscle relaxation followed by imagery of a clock with instructions that
they had complete control over their cycles, and could slow down menstrual
time to lengthen their cycles. Mean cycle length went from 27.6 days to
31.1 days (p<.003). An additional finding was that PMS symptoms
significantly decreased, especially negative affect.
1993 J Holist Nurs 11;3:286-94
Groer, M. and Ohnesorge, C.
2179779 RCT
Alleviation of premenstrual
syndrome symptoms with the relaxation response
Women with severe PMS symptoms
who utilized the relaxation response showed a 58% improvement, vs.27.2%
for a reading group and 17% for a charting group.
1990 Obstet Gynecol 75;4:649-55
Goodale, I. L., Domar, A. D.,
and Benson, H.
1744910 RCT
A comparison of hormone
therapy, coping skills training, and relaxation for the relief of
premenstrual syndrome
Women with PMS were able to
significantly improve mood and decrease PMS symptoms over a three month
time period with cognitive-behavioral coping skills training, consisting
of cognitive restructuring, effective problem-solving and responsible
assertiveness. Results persisted at an additional 3 month follow-up.
1991 J Behav Med 14;5:469-89
Morse, C. A., Dennerstein, L.,
Farrell, E., and Varnavides, K.
7843868 RCT
Biofeedback treatments for
premenstrual and premenstrual affective syndromes
Twice daily relaxation
exercises and weekly biofeedback significantly reduced PMS symptoms and
improved mood.
1994 Int J Psychosom
41;1-4:53-60
Van Zak, D. B.
9631216 R
Physical exercise and
psychological well being: a critical review
Review of the use of exercise
with PMS, depression, anxiety, stress, mood, self esteem and body image.
1998 Br J Sports Med
32;2:111-20
Scully, D., Kremer, J., Meade,
M. M., Graham, R., and Dudgeon, K.
8027958 JA
Aerobic exercise, mood states
and menstrual cycle symptoms
Regular exercisers experienced
significantly lower premenstrual concentration problems, negative affect,
behavior change and pain than non-exercisers.
1994 J Psychosom Res
38;3:183-92
Aganoff, J. A. and Boyle, G. J.
8463989 RCT
The effects of aerobic exercise
on premenstrual symptoms in middle-aged women: a preliminary study
Women who engaged in aerobic
exercise significantly improved more PMS symptoms, especially depression,
than with non-aerobic exercise.
1993 J Psychosom Res
37;2:127-33
Steege, J. F. and Blumenthal,
J. A.
2217327 RCT
Melatonin and phototherapy in
premenstrual depression
Women with PMS were found to
have a phase shift of melatonin secretion in the luteal phase. Treatment
with bright light at night significantly decreased depressive symptoms.
1990 Prog Clin Biol Res
341B;35-43
Parry, B. L., Berga, S. L.,
Kripke, D. F., and Gillin, J. C.
9104690 RCT
Plasma melatonin circadian
rhythms during the menstrual cycle and after light therapy in premenstrual
dysphoric disorder and normal control subjects
Women with PMDD had decreased
nocturnal melatonin levels in the pre-menstrual phase vs. early in the
cycle, while women without PMDD showed no change. The study then examines
various treatments with light therapy.
1997 J Biol Rhythms 12;1:47-64
Parry, B. L., Berga, S. L.,
Mostofi, N., Klauber, M. R., and Resnick, A.
11483933 R
Complementary/alternative
therapies for premenstrual syndrome: a systematic review of randomized
controlled trials
Authors felt that limitations
of available studies on use of complementary/alternative therapies for PMS
precluded recommending any.
2001 Am J Obstet Gynecol
185;1:227-35
Stevinson, C. and Ernst, E.
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