Interview study, 1986
How can menstrual cycle symptoms be measured statistically?
A statistical technique called Trigg's trend analysis can identify symptom patterns throughout the menstrual cycle and measure overall severity mathematically.
What they did
Adapted Trigg's trend analysis technique for analyzing prospective symptom ratings to evaluate premenstrual syndrome.
What they found
The method provides both qualitative and quantitative information about menstrual cycle symptoms. Symptom patterns can be identified using Trigg's tracking signal. A new statistic called the menstrual cycle ratio was proposed as a global index of menstrual cycle morbidity.
What it means for you
This paper describes a mathematical method for measuring and comparing menstrual cycle symptoms across studies. The main limitation is that this is a methods paper, not a study of women, so it does not tell us how these symptoms affect real life.
About the study
- Original title
- Assessment of menstrual cycle symptoms by trend analysis
- Authors
- Magos AL, Studd JW
- Journal
- American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
- Year
- 1986
- Study design
- Interview study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0002-9378(86)90807-0