Ginkgo
One double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the benefits of
Ginkgo biloba
extract for women with PMS symptoms.
20
This trial enrolled 143 women, 18 to 45 years of age, and followed them for two menstrual cycles. Each woman received either the ginkgo extract (80 mg twice daily) or placebo on day 16 of the first cycle. Treatment was continued until day 5 of the next cycle, and resumed again on day 16 of that cycle. As compared to placebo, ginkgo significantly relieved major symptoms of PMS, especially breast pain and emotional disturbance.
In another similarly designed trial involving 85 university students, Ginkgo biloba L. significantly reduced PMS symptom severity compared to placebo.
43
For more information, including dosage and safety issues, see the full
Ginkgo
article.
Magnesium
Preliminary studies suggest that magnesium may also be helpful in PMS. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 32 women found that magnesium taken from day 15 of the menstrual cycle to the onset of menstrual flow could significantly improve premenstrual mood changes.
21
Another small double-blind preliminary study found that regular use of magnesium could reduce symptoms of PMS-related fluid retention.
22
In this study, 38 women were given magnesium or placebo for 2 months. The results showed no effect after one cycle, but by the end of two cycles, magnesium significantly reduced weight gain, swelling of extremities, breast tenderness, and abdominal bloating.
In addition, one small double-blind study (20 participants) found that magnesium supplementation might help prevent menstrual
migraines
.
23
For more information, including dosage and safety issues, see the full
Magnesium
article.
As mentioned earlier, preliminary evidence suggests that combining vitamin B
6
with magnesium might improve the results.
24
Additional Treatments
Several double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, enrolling a total of about 400 women, found evidence that
multivitamin and mineral supplements
may be helpful for PMS.
26-29
It is not clear which ingredients in these supplements played a role.
Preliminary double-blind trials also suggest that
vitamin E
may be helpful for PMS.
25,33
A product containing
grass pollen
, royal jelly (a product made by bees), and the pistils (seed-bearing parts) of grass has been proposed for use in PMS. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled
crossover
trial of 32 women, use of the product for two menstrual cycles appeared to significantly improve PMS symptoms as compared to use of placebo.
34
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 30 women with complaints of premenstrual fluid retention found that use of
oligomeric proanthocyanidins
(OPCs) at a dose of 320 mg daily significantly reduced the
sensation
of fluid retention in the leg; however, actual leg swelling as measured was not significantly improved.
40
One poorly designed human trial hints that
krill oil
may be helpful for some PMS symptoms.
41
In a 24-week, double-blind study, 49 women with menstrual
migraines
received either placebo or a combination supplement containing
soy isoflavones
,
dong quai
, and
black cohosh
extracts.
35
The treatment proved at least somewhat more effective than placebo. Soy isoflavones alone have also shown some potential benefit.
42
Evening primrose oil
, a source of the omega-6 fatty acids, was once thought to be helpful for
cyclic breast pain
. However, it probably does not work for this purpose. It has also been proposed as a treatment for general PMS symptoms, but there is only minimal supporting evidence.
30
Highly preliminary evidence suggests that
St. John's wort
might be helpful for mood changes in PMS.
32
One study often cited as evidence that
massage therapy
is helpful for PMS was fatally flawed by the absence of a control group.
36
However, a better-designed trial compared reflexology (a special form of massage involving primarily the foot) against fake reflexology in 38 women with PMS symptoms and found evidence that real reflexology was more effective.
37
A small crossover trial of
chiropractic manipulation
for PMS symptoms found equivocal results at best.
38
In a 2010 review of nine clinical trials, researchers could not conclusively determine the effectivenes of @acupucnture@ for premenstrual syndrome due to the poor quality of the studies.
44
Progesterone cream
is sometimes recommended for PMS, but there is no meaningful evidence that it is effective.
31
One study failed to find the supplement
inositol
helpful for PMS.
39
For a discussion of homeopathic approaches to PMS, see the
Homeopathy Database
.