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Survey study, 2013

Is there a link between body weight and PMS, and does PMS reduce quality of life?

PMS significantly reduces both physical and mental quality of life. There is no clear link between body weight and PMS in this study.

Early or limited evidence 207 women aged 18-25, of whom 57 had PMS

What they did

Cross-sectional study of 207 women aged 18-25. All were screened for PMS using the Moos menstrual distress questionnaire; 57 were found to have PMS. Researchers measured body mass index and quality of life using the SF-36 questionnaire.

What they found

PMS was significantly linked to lower physical quality of life (r = -0.4228, p = 0.0011) and lower mental quality of life (r = -0.4326, p = 0.0008). Body mass index was not significantly linked to PMS.

What it means for you

PMS reduces both physical and mental quality of life in young women. Weight alone does not explain who gets PMS. The study is cross-sectional and included only young women, so results may not apply to older age groups.

207

women screened

57

women diagnosed with PMS

-0.4228

correlation between PMS and physical quality of life

About the study

Original title
Association of Premenstrual Syndrome with Body Mass Index, and its Effect on the Quality of Life: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors
Joyner C Mesquita, Arati Vinay Mahishale
Journal
Journal of South Asian Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Year
2013
Study design
Survey study
Participants
207
What was tested
None - observational study
Open access
Yes

Topics