Menstrual hormones are unpredictable in many women and during premenopause such hormones can cause premenstrual syndrome or PMS. A sudden dip in levels of progesterone hormones before menstruation can cause women to feel irrationally emotional and exhausted. Research has shown that women suffering from PMS have low levels of calcium in their bodies. Although calcium supplements have been prescribed to treat the symptoms of PMS it is not currently know if such supplements could help to stop PMS developing in younger women.
New research aims to change the way in which calcium supplements are prescribed for non-PMS sufferers, premenopause. If simple calcium supplements can prevent PMS brought on by menstrual hormones, then this treatment could be used to help young women fight PMS.
As part of the Nurses' Health Study conducted across the USA, a study cohort was assembled in order to assess the likelihood of PMS developing in women and there comparative calcium consumption during premenopause years. In 1991 a group of 3025 women took part in this study and each woman's weekly calcium intake was recorded by food frequency questionnaires which were completed in 1991 and during the follow-up years of 1995 and 1999. As all the women involved had to be premenopause, subjects were aged between 28 and 44 and suffered no PMS symptoms at the beginning of the trail.
The outcomes of this study were reviewed in 2005 and researchers found that of 1057 women developed PMS symptoms during premenopause while a further 1968 women did not suffer from problems related to menstrual hormones during this period. When the food surveys were reviewed researchers recognized women who had a higher weekly intake of calcium in their diet had a 0.70 lowered risk of developing PMS during premenopause. Researchers noted that even women who consumed low fat or skimmed milk had a reduced risk of PMS as long as such milk was consumed regularly.
This research demonstrates the benefits of a vitamin rich diet in women of all ages who want to avoid conditions which develop through an imbalance of hormones. As calcium and vitamin D can help to prevent osteoporosis in women later in life an increased calcium intake can benefit women throughout life and not just those women who are having problems with conditions related to hormones during premenopause. For more information about medical problems related to reproductive hormones and calcium intake, women should consult their doctor.
