Biggs · American family physician 2011 · narrative review · n=?

Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

Cited 156 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative clinical review without systematic review methodology

PubMed 22010771 · record verified 2026-08-29

What was done

This narrative clinical review summarizes definitions, diagnostic criteria (DSM-IV-TR and the Daily Record of Severity of Problems), proposed etiologies, and treatment options for premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

What was found

PMS affects 20% to 32% of premenopausal women and PMDD affects 3% to 8%. Serotonergic antidepressants (citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine) are identified as first-line pharmacologic agents. Limited evidence supports calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B6 supplementation, and insufficient evidence supports cognitive behavior therapy. The abstract provides no quantitative effect sizes or confidence intervals.

Why it matters

It provides clinicians with diagnostic criteria and clarifies evidence-based pharmacologic management versus unproven non-pharmacologic options for PMS and PMDD.

Limits

The paper is an unsystematic narrative review with no defined search protocol, quality grading, or meta-analytic pooling. Abstract does not report study sample sizes or numerical outcome data.

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