Calcium Helps Women with PMS

More than forty percent of menstruating women are affected by premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and for many of these women, the symptoms are severely debilitating. PMS presents with a vast array of symptoms - most commonly, abdominal bloating, breast pain, headaches, fatigue, fluid retention, pelvic pain, mood swings, aggression, memory impairment, insomnia and anxiety. These symptoms are usually absent during the week following the period, but can appear at any time during the two weeks (most commonly during the last four days) preceding menstruation, and then decline at the beginning or in the first days of the period.

In the world of orthodox medicine, natural supplements often have to be very well-proven before they are accepted by "old-school" doctors. Calcium is one of the few accepted and simple therapies for PMS. How Calcium Works against PMS

Calcium is thought to influence PMS symptoms by interacting with sexual steroid hormones involved in the menstrual cycle (such as oestrogens and progesterone).

Scientific Proof

A 1998 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 441 women with PMS, aged 18 to 45 tested the effects of calcium on PMS. Women with confirmed PMS received either 1,200 mg elemental calcium supplements (in the form of chewable calcium carbonate) or a placebo daily for three months. They used a PMS diary to measure 17 symptoms on a four-point scale. Symptoms included mood swings, irritability, water retention, food cravings, headache and cramping.

At the end of the study, researchers compared the diaries. Each woman's individual symptom scores were averaged to give a general score for each menstrual cycle. Women taking the calcium supplement experienced an average 48% reduction in symptom severity during the third cycle, while those taking the placebo had a 30% reduction. Nearly all the symptoms improved significantly in the group taking the calcium supplement. Emotional symptoms dropped by 45% (vs. 28% for placebo), edema by 36% (vs. 24 percent), food cravings by 54% (vs. 34%) and pain by 54% (vs. a 15% pain increase in the placebo group).

The Take-Home Message

• Women with PMS should use 1,200 mg of supplemental calcium per day to reduce their PMS symptoms.
• The best forms of calcium treating PMS are calcium citrate, calcium bisglycinate, calcium citrate malate, calcium lactate, calcium malate, calcium succinate, calcium orotate and calcium phosphate.
• Most calcium supplements work best when taken with meals. Calcium citrate may be an exception as it requires very little stomach acid for absorption. It may be best to take calcium citrate supplements at night on an empty stomach.