Body water and weight in patients with premenstrual tension.

The total body water, total body potassium and weight were studied during the follicular and luteal phases of the cycle in 20 patients with severe premenstrual tension and 20 controls without symptoms. The effects of a diuretic (bumetanide) and bromocriptine were also studied in the patients with premenstrual tension. The mean body water in the premenstrual tension group did not differ significantly from that in the controls neither did the mean body potassium levels. However, during the late luteal phase the water/potassium ratio in liters per mol of potassium was significantly higher in the patients with premenstrual tension than in the controls. In the women with premenstrual tension the body water values varied more widely between the luteal phase and follicular phase than in the controls. The mean body water and weight in the premenstrual tension group were similar in the late luteal and early follicular phases. Treatment with bumetanide or bromocriptine had no effect on the parameters studied.