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Survey study, 2014

Which PMS symptoms tend to occur together?

Different PMS symptoms commonly occur together. Women who have mood symptoms like anxiety and irritability also tend to have appetite changes, depression, and sleep problems, and these associations were found to be statistically significant.

Early or limited evidence 148 healthy women in India

What they did

A cross-sectional survey in India where 148 healthy women filled out a questionnaire about PMS symptoms during the second half of their menstrual cycle. Researchers then looked for correlations between different types of symptoms.

What they found

Mood symptoms (anxiety, irritability, mood swings, nervousness) significantly correlated with appetite changes, fatigue, dizziness, depression, memory problems, sleep problems, bloating, and breast tenderness. Appetite symptoms correlated with mood, depression, water retention, and sleep problems. Depression symptoms correlated with mood and appetite changes. Water retention symptoms correlated with appetite and depression symptoms.

What it means for you

Many PMS symptoms appear together and may share a common cause, but this study only shows correlations, not what causes them. The study was done only in India and did not explore why these symptoms cluster together or how to treat them.

148

women studied

About the study

Original title
Correlation of Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome in Indian Set-Up
Authors
Preeti Garg
Journal
American Journal of Health Research
Year
2014
Study design
Survey study
Participants
148
What was tested
None
Open access
Yes

Topics