--- title: Did COVID-19 stress make PMS worse for young women? | Niyora description: Young women who experienced trauma symptoms from COVID-19 had more severe PMS symptoms than those without trauma. This observational study cannot prove that C url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/association-between-premenstrual-symptoms-and-posttraumatic-stress-symptoms-by-2021/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Did COVID-19 stress make PMS worse for young women? Survey study, 2021 # Did COVID-19 stress make PMS worse for young women? Young women who experienced trauma symptoms from COVID-19 had more severe PMS symptoms than those without trauma. This observational study cannot prove that COVID stress causes worse PMS. Moderate study design 871 Japanese high school students with regular menstrual cycles ## What they did They surveyed 871 Japanese high school students about their PMS symptoms, COVID-19 fear, and stress/trauma symptoms, comparing those with and without COVID-related trauma symptoms and also comparing to 2019 pre-pandemic data. ## What they found PMS symptoms were more severe in those with COVID-related trauma symptoms than in those without. When compared to 2019 levels, the trauma group had worsening symptoms while the non-trauma group remained unchanged. ## What it means for you Major stressful events like COVID-19 may worsen PMS symptoms in some women, particularly those experiencing trauma. The study only included Japanese high school students so results may not apply to other populations or age groups. 871 high school students studied ## About the study Original title Association between Premenstrual Symptoms and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms by COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study with Japanese High School Students Authors Takeda T, Kai S, Yoshimi K Journal The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine Year 2021 Study design Survey study Participants 871 What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1620/tjem.255.71](https://doi.org/10.1620/tjem.255.71) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[PTSD and trauma](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-ptsd-trauma/)[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 Survey study, 2025 What psychological and personal factors predict which university students will develop premenstrual syndrome? Survey study, 2024 Did COVID-19 stress cause changes in menstrual cycles? Survey study, 2019 What factors affect PMS severity in teenage girls? Survey study, 2015 Are menstrual problems linked to mental health issues? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Survey study, 2025 Do adverse childhood experiences increase PMS and menstrual symptoms in adulthood? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗