Premenstrual Syndrome - Risk Factors

Risk Factors

  • High caffeine intake
  • Stress may precipitate condition
  • Increasing age
  • History of depression
  • Family history
  • Dietary factors (Low levels of certain vitamins and minerals, particularly magnesium, manganese, vitamin E and also Vitamin D)

Family history is often a good predictor of the probability of premenstrual syndrome; studies have found that the concordance rate is two times higher among identical twins compared with fraternal twins. This means that if one twin has PMS, then the other twin is more likely than average to have PMS, and it suggests that the cause is partly genetic. Although the presence of premenstrual syndrome is high among women with affective disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder, a causal relationship has not been established.

B vitamins, in particular vitamin B6, can also assist with PMS.

Read more about this topic:  Premenstrual Syndrome

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