Purpose: The occurrence of menses is a natural and biological event, which is experienced by half of the human race for about 30 years of life. This natural phenomenon is often surrounded by vagary, delusions, and negative views, and for some women menses means disorder, wound or mental and physical impurity. This feeling is matched with premenstrual stress and its destructive complications overshadow the lives of these women. This syndrome as an unsolvable problem lasting during a significant portion of human life and causes family problems, misbehaviour with children, problems at work, or absences from work. All of these consequences have caused the public media to pay much attention to this syndrome in recent years. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of calcium in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome.
Method: This study was done using a semi-experimental method, among all of medical students at the Medical School of Mazandaran, who filled in the questionnaire to diagnose this syndrome (Rosignol Bonlender Questionnaire) during a period of 3 months. This questionnaire included demographic information, entrance and omission criteria, check paper, and a symptom list of Rosignol Bolender. A total of 200 girls who suffered from the moderate or severe form of this syndrome were selected randomly and divided in two groups. The first group (100 girls) took 100 mg /day of calcium for 7 days at the end of their cycle and the second group (100 girls) took placebo for 7 days at the end of their cycle. The duration of the treatment was 3 months. After the treatment, the severity of physical and mental symptoms was compared. Also the comparison after the intervention was done in two groups.
Results: Based on the independent sample test, these two groups were homogeneous with respect to age (p = 0.233, based on independent sample test ), education level (p = 0.328, based on x2 tests , length of menstrual cycle (p = 0.245), based on independent sample test ), severity of physical symptoms before intervention (p = 0.141), severity of mental symptoms before the intervention (p = 0.132), severity of physical and mental symptoms altogether before the intervention (p = 0.144). In the first group there was a meaningful difference between the severity of physical (p= 0.000), mental (p= 0.000) and physical & mental symptoms combined (p= 0.000 ) between before and after the intervention measurements. The reduction in severity of physical, mental, and physical and mental symptoms altogether after the intervention were meaningful between the two groups (p= 0.000).
Conclusion: Based on our results calcium may improve the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.