Perimenstrual Asthma Is Associated with More-Severe Symptoms

Allergic asthma is more common in boys than in girls until adolescence, but more women develop asthma as adults, especially nonallergic asthma. Hormones might play a role in this switch: Some studies have shown associations between hormone therapy or oral contraceptive use and asthma symptoms. In addition, some women report worsening of asthma control during menstruation (i.e., perimenstrual asthma [PMA]). In this study, investigators reviewed data from the Severe Asthma Research Program to characterize women with PMA.

Researchers analyzed data from 483 women (age range, 12–50), 19% of whom were considered to have PMA according to each woman's report of whether menses triggered onset or worsening of asthma symptoms. Compared with women who r…