Survey study, 2023
Is there a link between weight (BMI) and the severity of PMS symptoms?
Yes. Higher BMI was linked to more severe emotional and behavioral PMS symptoms, though this doesn't prove weight causes PMS.
What they did
Researchers surveyed 392 women of reproductive age in Saudi Arabia about their PMS symptoms and recorded their weight and height to calculate BMI. They looked for statistical links between BMI and symptom severity.
What they found
77% of women reported emotional PMS symptoms and 55% reported physical symptoms. Women with higher BMI had significantly more severe emotional and behavioral PMS symptoms.
What it means for you
Higher weight may be connected to worse emotional PMS symptoms. Weight management could be part of treating PMS, especially for women with severe symptoms. However, the study doesn't prove weight causes PMS, and results are from Saudi Arabia only, so may not apply elsewhere.
392
women studied
77%
reported emotional PMS symptoms
55%
reported physical PMS symptoms
About the study
- Original title
- Correlation between premenstrual syndrome and body mass index among reproductive females
- Authors
- Heba El‐Sayed Mostafa, Abdullah A Alkurdi, Mohammad Sanousi et al.
- Journal
- Medical Science
- Year
- 2023
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 392
- What was tested
- Weight (BMI) observed, not an intervention tested
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v27i133/e123ms2926
Topics
Related studies
Study, 2026
What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder?
Survey study, 2026
How common is PMDD among college women and what increases the risk?
Survey study, 2026
Are PMS and PMDD the same condition or are they different?
Review, 2026
How does the menstrual cycle affect concentration and work productivity?
Survey study, 2023
How common is PMS in working women and does it affect their work-life quality?
Systematic review, 2026
What do we know about PMDD in autistic people and those with ADHD?