---
title: Which six symptoms best identify who has PMS? | Niyora
description: Six key symptoms identify PMS just as well as tracking 17 symptoms: anxiety or tension, mood swings, aches, appetite changes, cramps, and decreased interest i
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/core-symptoms-that-discriminate-premenstrual-syndrome-2011/
---

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- Which six symptoms best identify who has PMS?

Cohort study, 2011

# Which six symptoms best identify who has PMS?

Six key symptoms identify PMS just as well as tracking 17 symptoms: anxiety or tension, mood swings, aches, appetite changes, cramps, and decreased interest in activities. They correctly classified 84 to 86 percent of cases.

 Moderate study design

1,081 women who requested PMS treatment at an academic medical center

## What they did

Analyzed daily symptom diaries from 1,081 women who sought PMS treatment at an academic medical center. Researchers used half the women to identify which symptoms best distinguished PMS from non-PMS, then tested these findings in the other half.

## What they found

Six core symptoms identified PMS as well as 17 symptoms did: anxiety or tension, mood swings, aches, appetite or food cravings, cramps, and decreased interest in activities. The area under the curve was 0.84 in both models. Symptom scores correctly classified 84 to 86 percent of cases.

## What it means for you

Using just six key symptoms is enough to diagnose PMS reliably in clinical practice, reducing the burden of tracking many symptoms. The study included only women seeking treatment at one medical center, so results may not apply to all women with PMS.

6

Core symptoms that identify PMS

84-86%

Correct classification rate

1,081

Women studied

## About the study

Original title Core symptoms that discriminate premenstrual syndrome Authors Freeman EW, Halberstadt SM, Rickels K et al. Journal Journal of women's health (2002) Year 2011 Study design Cohort study Participants 1,081 What was tested None (diagnostic study analyzing existing daily diary data) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2010.2161](https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2010.2161)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Appetite and food cravings](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-food-cravings/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Legal and forensic](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-legal-crime/)

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