title: Homeopathic treatment of premenstrual syndrome: a case series.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Observational, prospective study to describe the homeopathic management of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) by a group of French physicians.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women with PMS for >3 months were prescribed individualized homeopathic treatment. The intensity of 10 clinical symptoms of PMS was scored individually at inclusion and at a 3-6 month follow-up visit: absent = 0, mild = 1, moderate = 2, severe = 3. Total symptom score (range: 0-30) was calculated and compared for each patient at inclusion and at follow-up. PMS impact on daily activities (quality of life, QoL) was compared at inclusion and follow-up as: none, mild, moderate, severe, very severe.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-three women were prescribed homeopathic treatment only (mean age: 39.7 years). Folliculinum (87%) was the most frequently prescribed homeopathic medicine followed by Lachesis mutus (52.2%). The most common PMS symptoms (moderate or severe) at inclusion were: irritability, aggression and tension (87%), mastodynia (78.2%) and weight gain and abdominal bloating (73.9%); and the most common symptoms at follow-up were: irritability, aggression and tension (39.1%), weight gain and abdominal bloating (26.1%) and mastodynia (17.4%). Mean global score for symptom intensity was 13.7 at inclusion and 6.3 at follow-up. The mean decrease in score (7.4) was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Twenty-one women reported that their QoL also improved significantly (91.3%; p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Homeopathic treatment was well tolerated and seemed to have a positive impact on PMS symptoms. Folliculinum was the most frequent homeopathic medicine prescribed. There appears to be scope for a properly designed, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of individual homeopathic medicines in PMS.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoires Boiron, Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, France. karine.danno@boiron.fr
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Danno
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colas
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Terzan
authors.forename: Marie-France
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Bordet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003435:Crotalid Venoms / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006705:Homeopathy; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D003435:Crotalid Venoms; C072644:Lachesis venom