Effect of calcium on premenstrual syndrome: A double-blind randomized clinical trial

Abstract

ObjectivePremenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects millions of women and is known as the most important disorder among them. The very aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of low dose calcium on severity of PMS.MethodsThis study can be considered as a double-blind randomized clinical trial. Female students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences diagnosed with PMS in 2014 participated in the present study. Sixty-six female students diagnosed with PMS were involved in the experimental and control groups. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups to receive 500 mg of calcium daily or placebo for two months. Severity of PMS was detected by Daily Record of Severity of Problems, which was used to measure symptoms during one menstrual cycle before and two menstrual cycles after the intervention.ResultsNo signifcant differences were observed in the mean scores of PMS symptoms between calcium and placebo groups before the treatment (P=0.74). However, signifcant differences were noticed between the two intervention groups in the first (P=0.01) and second menstrual cycles (P=0.001) after the intervention. The differences were significant in subgroups of anxiety, depression, emotional changes, water retention, and somatic changes in calcium group compared with placebo group in the menstrual cycle before the intervention and two menstrual cycles after the intervention and among menstrual cycles (0, cycle 1, cycle 2) in calcium group (P=0.01).ConclusionOverall, the results of the present study suggest that treatment with calcium supplements is an effective method for reducing mood disorders during PMS.

Internet-Based Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention for Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Additionally, complementary therapies, including nutritional supplementation with calcium, vitamin D or B 6 [15], and herbal supplements [e.g. St John’s wort, vitex agnus-castus; 16], are being used, although sufficient evidence is currently lacking.…”

Considering the Role of the Menstrual Cycle on Increased Suicidality in Adolescent Females

“…Treatment with oral contraceptives in patients containing drospirenone significantly decreased PMS and PMDD symptomatology [27], but other studies have found a less robust effect on PMDD [4]. As previously mentioned, calcium and vitamin D supplementation have also been shown to decrease symptoms of PMS and PMDD; however, such supplementation appears to be much more effective for reducing PMS symptoms than those of PMDD [1,24]. Finally, lifestyle changes such as exercise, meditation, decreasing caffeine consumption, and stress management can be effective in decreasing the severity of symptoms in PMS and, to a lesser extent, PMDD [20].…”

There is increasing evidence to suggest that brain inflammation could play a key role in the aetiology of psychiatric illness. Could inflammation be a cause of the premenstrual syndromes PMS and PMDD?

“…These include the effects of exercise, the importance of the gut microbiome, increased intake of anti-oxidants in foods and supplements, low sugar consumption and increased intake of probiotics, vitamins and supplements such as curcumin, B vitamins, calcium, ginger, omega3 and melatonin. [44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51]…”