--- title: How many different ways do researchers measure PMS in clinical trials? description: Researchers use many different measurement tools across studies. 65 different questionnaires were found in 350 trials of PMS drugs, making it hard to compare url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/clinical-trials-of-treatments-of-premenstrual-syndrome-entry-criteria-and-scales-1994/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How many different ways do researchers measure PMS in clinical trials? Survey study, 1994 # How many different ways do researchers measure PMS in clinical trials? Researchers use many different measurement tools across studies. 65 different questionnaires were found in 350 trials of PMS drugs, making it hard to compare whether treatments actually work. Strong study design This analyzed 350 published clinical trials of PMS drugs ## What they did They searched for all published clinical trials of PMS drugs, collected all the measurement scales and questionnaires used in those trials, and analyzed what symptoms each one tracked. ## What they found 350 clinical trials of 115 different drugs used 65 different questionnaires. The most commonly tracked symptoms were irritability (included in 44 questionnaires), headache or migraine (40), depression (37), tearfulness (34), tension (31), anxiety (31), breast tenderness (31), and mood swings (30). ## What it means for you Because so many different tools are used to measure PMS, researchers cannot easily compare whether a treatment works in one study versus another. This weakens PMS research overall. Regulatory authorities should agree on which measurement tools to use. 350 clinical trials reviewed 115 different drugs tested 65 different measurement questionnaires ## About the study Original title Clinical trials of treatments of premenstrual syndrome: entry criteria and scales for measuring treatment outcomes Authors Budeiri DJ, Li Wan Po A, Dornan JC Journal British journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Year 1994 Study design Survey study What was tested None - this reviewed research methodology Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.1994.tb13186.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.1994.tb13186.x) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Mood swings and emotion regulation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-emotional-regulation/)[Appetite and food cravings](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-food-cravings/)[Bloating, breast tenderness and physical symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-physical-symptoms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Migraine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-migraine/) 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 Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Randomised trial, 2021 Does hypnotherapy reduce pain and emotional distress in women with PMDD? Randomised trial, 2018 Does swimming reduce premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Survey study, 2016 Do hormonal contraceptives reduce PMS symptoms? Survey study, 1982 How common are premenstrual symptoms in American women, and what factors affect them? Survey study, 1982 Are premenstrual and menstrual symptoms separate problems or part of one larger problem? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗