Premenstrual syndrome and alcohol consumption: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies (cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional designs)
PubMed 29661913 · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019490
What was done
Systematic review and meta-analysis searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, five WHO regional databases, the Proceedings database, and Open Access Thesis and Dissertations from inception to May 2017 with no language limitations. Studies were included if they provided original data from cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional designs, clearly defined premenstrual syndrome (PMS) as the outcome, evaluated alcohol consumption as an exposure, and reported effect estimates or data sufficient to calculate odds ratios or relative risks.
What was found
From 39 identified studies, 19 were eligible for inclusion. Alcohol intake was associated with an increased risk of PMS (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.79). Heavy drinking showed a larger association with PMS risk than any drinking (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.39 to 2.32).
Why it matters
This review aggregates existing observational evidence showing a positive association between alcohol use and PMS, with higher risk estimates seen with heavy drinking.
Limits
The review relies on observational data, including cross-sectional studies where reverse causality cannot be excluded. The abstract does not provide total participant counts, specific definitions or thresholds for heavy drinking, or details on how individual studies controlled for confounding variables.
Cited by
- supports Alcohol consumption increases the risk of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) by 45%, and heavy drinking increases the risk to 79% compared to never drinking.