---
title: Do women with PMDD who struggle to identify their feelings have more severe symptoms and body concerns?
description: Yes. About 31.3% of women with PMDD have difficulty identifying and expressing their feelings, and these women report more severe PMDD symptoms and worse body
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/alexithymia-and-body-image-disturbances-in-women-with-premenstrual-dysphoric-2005/
---

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- Do women with PMDD who struggle to identify their feelings have more severe symptoms and body concerns?

Survey study, 2005

# Do women with PMDD who struggle to identify their feelings have more severe symptoms and body concerns?

Yes. About 31.3% of women with PMDD have difficulty identifying and expressing their feelings, and these women report more severe PMDD symptoms and worse body image than others.

 Early or limited evidence

64 women with PMDD aged 18-45

## What they did

Cross-sectional study of 64 women with PMDD aged 18-45. Researchers measured difficulty identifying feelings, severity of premenstrual mood symptoms, body image concerns, and self-esteem.

## What they found

31.3% (20 women) had difficulty identifying and expressing feelings. Women with this difficulty had significantly higher scores on all measures, including worse body satisfaction and appearance evaluation. Difficulty identifying and describing feelings predicted more severe PMDD.

## What it means for you

Some women with PMDD have difficulty recognizing their emotions, and this is linked to worse symptoms and body image concerns. But the sample was small (64 women) and from one setting, so findings may not apply to all women with PMDD.

31.3%

Women with difficulty identifying feelings

64

Total study participants

## About the study

Original title Alexithymia and body image disturbances in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Authors De Berardis D, Campanella D, Gambi F et al. Journal Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology Year 2005 Study design Survey study Participants 20 What was tested None - observational study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/01674820500109081](https://doi.org/10.1080/01674820500109081)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)

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Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

## Related studies

Cohort study, 2026

What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms?

Systematic review, 2026

How often do mood disorders and PMS or PMDD occur together?

Systematic review, 2026

Does vitamin D supplementation help PMS symptoms?

Study, 2026

How do women with PMDD process emotions differently in their brains?

Systematic review, 2026

Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle?

Systematic review, 2026

How much of PMDD treatment improvement comes from placebo effect?

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