Asthma link to irregular periods
01 June 2005

A recent study has found that women with irregular periods are more likely to have asthma and allergies.

Scientists in Bergen, Norway, studied more than 6,000 women in five northern European countries. They found that those in the 26-42 age group who said they had erratic periods were 54% more likely to have diagnosed asthma than those with a regular menstrual cycle, and almost a third more likely to experience hay fever.

The study found that the relationship between asthma and irregular menstruation is not a direct one, but that there are probably underlying physiological mechanisms that are responsible for both.

Asthma medication was ruled out as a possible cause of irregular periods, as similar results were found in women with asthma who were not taking medicines.

Many of the common causes of irregular menstruation (such as low body weight, women approaching menopause, etc) were also excluded as causes of asthma.

In the study, lead researcher Dr Cecilie Svanes suggests that the metabolic and hormonal factors that affect menstruation may also contribute towards the development of asthma, possibly as early on as in the womb. 'Developmental disadvantage in early life such as poor intrauterine conditions is related both to an increased risk for asthma and to hormonal imbalance,' she explains.

What does this mean for people with asthma?

This is an interesting study, and the first to investigate the relationship between asthma and allergy and an irregular menstrual cycle,' said Josianne Roma-Reardon, Asthma UK's Senior Policy & Information Officer. 'More research is definitely needed in this area.

'However, the researchers have also concluded that this is not caused by asthma medication, so it is important that women who have asthma do not stop taking their medicines, even if they have irregular periods,' she added.

The study is published in May 2005 edition of Thorax journal.