Effect of combined calcium and vitamin E consumption on premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome is a common disorder of premenopausal women affecting up to 95% of women. Sometimes psychological, behavioral and physical symptoms of premenstrual syndrome are so severe that interferes with normal life activities and interpersonal relationships. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of combined calcium and vitamin E consumption on premenstrual syndrome in female students of Iran University of Medical Sciences. In this three-blinded randomized placebo controlled trial, 87 students with diagnosis of premenstrual syndrome were recruited and randomly allocated to either receiving combined calcium and vitamin E or placebo. They completed rating scale of premenstrual syndrome parallel to three cycles of menstruation before intervention and three cycles of menstruation during drug consumption. Paired t-test and independent t-test were used to analyze data. The findings showed that severity of symptoms reduced in 56% of students consuming combined calcium and vitamin E and completely disappeared in some of cases. Placebo caused 30% reduction in symptoms. Statistically significant differences were found between treatment and placebo groups (p=0.003, df=86, t=2.10). Combined calcium and vitamin E consumption was effective to reduce symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. More studies in this field is recommended to find out the effect of daily consumption of combined 1000 mg calcium and 400 UI vitamin E by women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome in order to promote their quality of life.