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PMS Raises Risk of Hypertension by 40%

Women with moderate-to-severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are at a 40% higher risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new study.

Note: Clinically significant PMS (eg, cramps, insomnia, dizziness, hot flashes) affects between 8% and 15% of women.

In a prospective study, the first of its kind, researchers studied whether PMS may be linked to the risk of future chronic health conditions. To start, researchers adjusted for known risk factors, such as body mass index, pack-years of cigarette smoking, physical activity, alcohol use, postmenopausal hormone use, oral contraceptive use, and family history of hypertension.
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For the study, researchers used data from 1257 women who developed clinically significant PMS between 1991 and 2005 against a control group of 2464 age-matched participants with few menstrual symptoms.

Researchers found that women with clinically significant PMS had a hazard ratio for hypertension of 1.4 compared to women without PMS—an increased risk of 40%. Furthermore, women under the age of 40 with PMS had a 3-fold higher risk of developing hypertension compared to women without PMS.

However, women with high dietary intake of B vitamins thiamine and riboflavin had a 25% to 35% lower risk of developing PMS.

The study is available online in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

—Pooja Shah

Reference:

  1. Bertone-Johnson E, Whitcomb B, Rich-Edwards J, et al. Premenstrual syndrome and subsequent risk of hypertension in a prospective study. Am J Epidermiol. 2015 Nov 24 [epub ahead of print].
  2. UMass Amherst. PMS as an early marker for future high blood pressure risk [press release]. November 24, 2015. www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/pms-early-marker-future-high-blood. Accessed November 24, 2015.