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Family Practice Vol. 18, No. 6, 644-646
© Oxford University Press 2001

Selections from Current Literature

Treatments for premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Margaret Carr

Department of Family Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.

Margaret Carr, 40 King's Way #603A, Waltham, MA 02451, USA.

Carr M. Treatments for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Family Practice 2001; 18: 644–646.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a regularly recurring cluster of mood and somatic symptoms, occurring during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 20–40% of women have some premenstrual symptoms.1 In ~5% of women of reproductive age, the symptoms are severe enough to seriously disrupt their lives and relationships,2 thereby meeting the DSM-IV criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

Despite the prevalence of PMDD, its cause is uncertain. Nutritional, hormonal and neurotransmitter imbalances have all been implicated. Because of the substantial placebo response in this disorder,3 uncontrolled studies have led to an abundance of claims for treatments that have not been substantiated. Some controlled studies have shown benzodiazepines to be effective4 but, because of the side effects and risks of addiction and abuse, many physicians are reluctant to prescribe them. Surgical or medical induction of an anovulatory state is also effective,5,6 but . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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