--- title: Are premenstrual symptoms as common as period pain in teenage girls? description: Premenstrual symptoms are very common in teenage girls (86%), as common as period pain (91%). Most girls don't know what causes these symptoms or how to treat url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/a-survey-of-adolescent-dysmenorrhea-and-premenstrual-symptom-frequency-a-model-1989/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Are premenstrual symptoms as common as period pain in teenage girls? Survey study, 1989 # Are premenstrual symptoms as common as period pain in teenage girls? Premenstrual symptoms are very common in teenage girls (86%), as common as period pain (91%). Most girls don't know what causes these symptoms or how to treat them. Early or limited evidence 88 female high school students in two physical education classes ## What they did Cross-sectional survey of 88 female high school students in two physical education classes. Each girl answered questions about period pain and premenstrual symptoms, their severity, treatment, and impact on academic performance and school attendance. ## What they found 76 of 88 girls (86%) reported premenstrual symptoms and 80 of 88 (91%) reported period pain. The majority identified both as problems significantly affecting academic performance and causing school absenteeism. Most girls were unaware of the causes and treatments. ## What it means for you Premenstrual symptoms are very common in adolescent girls and significantly impact school. The main limitation is that this small survey of two classes at one high school may not represent all teenagers. 86% Girls with premenstrual symptoms 91% Girls with period pain 88 Female students surveyed ## About the study Original title A survey of adolescent dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptom frequency. A model program for prevention, detection, and treatment Authors Wilson CA, Keye WR Jr Journal Journal of adolescent health care : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine Year 1989 Study design Survey study What was tested None; descriptive survey Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0197-0070(89)90065-x](https://doi.org/10.1016/0197-0070(89)90065-x) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2025 Does alcohol use affect menstrual health in teenage girls? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does video-guided digital menstrual exercise reduce PMS and period pain in adolescent girls? Survey study, 2026 What factors are linked with period pain in teenage girls in Ethiopia? Interview study, 2024 How do young women use period tracker apps to manage their menstrual cycles? Cohort study, 2023 Do girls with intellectual disability have worse menstrual quality of life? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗