Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is literally a pain for many women, causing symptoms like cramps, dizziness and nausea. Now, a new study is saying it can be much more than that — it can actually be an early indicator of future high blood pressure problems.
The researchers, led by Elizabeth R. Bertone-Johnson from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, found that women who experience moderate to severe symptoms of PMS face a 40 percent greater risk of developing hypertension compared to those who had no PMS. About 8-15 percent of women experience moderate to severe PMS.
"To my knowledge, this is the first large long-term study to suggest that PMS may be related to risk of chronic health conditions in later life," said Bertone-Johnson, according to a press release.
To determine the association between PMS and high blood pressure, the researchers investigated 1,257 women with clinically significant PMS. For the control group, the researchers included 2,463 women with light menstrual symptoms. All the women participated in the study, which was called Nurses' Health Study II.
The researchers discovered that those with clinically significant PMS had a 1.4 hazard ratio for hypertension. These women's risk for hypertension was not changed by using oral contraceptives or antidepressants.
Interestingly, women who had a high intake of thiamine and riboflavin did not show a high risk for hypertension. They were also found to have a 25-35 percent lower risk for having PMS, suggesting that "improving B vitamin status in women with PMS may both reduce menstrual symptom severity and lower hypertension risk."
"Women with PMS should be screened for adverse changes in blood pressure and future risk of hypertension," said the study authors.
The study was published online Nov. 24 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
