According to the American Family Physician Journal, 20 to 30 percent of American women of child-bearing age experience the physical and/or emotional symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

A recent clinical study showed that Lipogen PMS, a natural phospholipid non-pharmaceutical formulation recently put on the market by a nutritional supplement maker in Haifa, effectively relieves these symptoms.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study evaluated 40 women aged 18-45 who were diagnosed with PMS by their physicians. Directed by Juliane Hellhammer, CEO of Daacro, a contract research organization in Germany, the study was reported in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN.

Researchers observed women during an initial baseline menstrual cycle followed by three menstrual cycles in which subjects received daily treatment of the Lipogen PMS complex of 400 mg phosphatidylserine (PS) and 400 mg phosphatidic acid (PA). Treatment compliance was monitored with an electronic medication event monitoring system.

The Lipogen PMS treatment group experienced ongoing reduction of PMS symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, bloating, appetite and sleep disturbances. The level of their stress hormone (cortisol) went down and they reported experiencing fewer relationship and work problems because of PMS as compared to the placebo group.

“In view of the recent inclusion of severe PMS symptoms (PMDD) in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the positive results of this clinical study merits consideration of developing the PAS complex as a botanical drug for treatment of PMDD,“ the study authors wrote.

Lipogen PMS is patented in the US, Europe and Japan, and has US FDA GRAS status and EU EFSA Novel Food approval. Currently it is available only to supplement producers, marketers and retailers rather than direct to consumer.