Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T08:39:22.348Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Premenstrual Syndrome: A Double-Blind Controlled Trial of Progesterone and Placebo

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Gwyneth A. Sampson
Gwyneth A. Sampson*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Sheffield
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Patients with premenstrual syndrome recorded their symptoms daily using menstrual distress questionnaires. These were analysed by a least mean square method of fitting sine waves. After recording an untreated cycle, patients were given progesterone 200 mg b.d. and placebo in a double-blind crossover manner; 75 per cent of patients were then given progesterone 400 mg b.d. and placebo in a similar manner. Treated cycles were rated by both daily menstrual distress questionnaires and retrospective self-assessment. Both rating methods showed there was no significant difference between progesterone and placebo in reducing symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, and in the majority of cases placebo was more effective, although never significantly so.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 135 , Issue 3 , September 1979 , pp. 209 - 215
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1979 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Dalton, K. (1977) The Premenstrual Syndrome and Progesterone Therapy. London: William Heinemann.Google Scholar
Gray, L. A. (1941) The use of progesterone in nervous tension states. Southern Medical Journal, 34, 1004–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jordheim, O. (1972) The Premenstrual Syndrome. Clinical trials of treatment with a progestogen combined with a diuretic, compared with a progestogen alone and with a placebo. Acta Obstetrica Gynaecologica Scandinavica, 51, 77–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mattson, B. V. & Schoultz, B. (1974) A comparison between lithium, placebo and a diuretic in premenstrual tension. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Suppl. 255, 75–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moos, R. H. (1969) Menstrual distress questionnaire. Preliminary Manual. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reeves, B. D., Garvin, J. E. & McElin, T. W. (1971) Premenstrual tension, symptoms and weight changes related to potassium therapy. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 109, 1036–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sampson, G. A. & Jenner, F. A. (1977) Studies of daily recordings from the Moos menstrual distress questionnaire. British Journal of Psychiatry, 130, 265–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, S. L. (1975) Topics in Endocrinology. (Ed. Sachar, E. J.). New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Steigutz, E. J. & Kimble, S. T. (1949) Premenstrual intoxication. American Journal of Medical Science, 218, 616–23.Google Scholar
Sutherland, H. & Stewart, I. (1965) A critical analysis of the premenstrual syndrome. Lancet, i, 1180–3.Google Scholar
Swyer, G. I. M. (1955) Treatment of the premenstrual syndrome. Value of ethisterone, mephensin and a placebo compared. British Medical Journal, i, 1410–14.Google Scholar
Taylor, R. W. (1977) The treatment of premenstrual tension with dydrogesterone. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 4, Suppl. 4, 35–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.