Vitamin E pill seems to ease PMS pain

LONDON - Pre-menstrual syndrome or PMS affects around 75 percent women and up to 40 percent of those say it damages the quality of life.

PMS patients are prescribed simple things from dietary changes to hormones and anti-depressants. But they don’t work for all, and in case of drugs, can have side-effects.

In a study, 120 women were asked to rate the severity of the bloating, tiredness, aches and pains that often beset them in the days leading to menstruation, the journal Reproductive Health reports.

Of the group, 80 were then prescribed pills containing varying doses of a trio of polyunsaturated fatty acids and Vitamin E, which is found in nuts, seeds and green vegetables.

And 40 women were given packs of dummy pills, according to the Daily Mail.

All were told to take two capsules before bedtime each night leading up to their period and asked to rate their symptoms after three months and again at six months.

Those taking the essential oils experienced a clear easing of symptoms after three months. By six months the effects were dramatic, especially among those taking the highest doses.

In some of these cases, the severity of symptoms fell by more than two-thirds. Side-effects were rare, with one woman experiencing stomach ache and anothers period starting later than usual.

The researchers from the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil believe the contents of the capsules make the body less sensitive to prolactin, a hormone blamed for fluid retention and breast tenderness.