Cohort study, 1993
How accurate are PMS diagnoses and how well do treatments work?
Only 38 of 100 women referred for PMS actually had it; 24 had other causes of similar symptoms. When women were properly diagnosed, 84 percent responded well to treatment.
What they did
Researchers followed 100 women referred to a PMS clinic. They used a structured diagnostic protocol to determine who had true PMS, premenstrual magnification (similar symptoms from other causes), or other disorders, then tracked treatment responses.
What they found
Of 100 women: 38 had true PMS, 24 had premenstrual magnification, 13 had psychiatric or other disorders. Only 44 percent of women previously diagnosed with PMS were actually correct. Overall, 84 percent of women with true PMS or magnification responded to treatment.
What it means for you
Many women are wrongly diagnosed with PMS without proper testing. Premenstrual magnification, when PMS-like symptoms are caused by other medical conditions, is often missed. When women are correctly diagnosed, current treatments work well.
38
women with true PMS out of 100
44
percent previously diagnosed correctly
84
percent who responded to treatment
About the study
- Original title
- Diagnostic and treatment results from a southeastern academic center-based premenstrual syndrome clinic: the first year
- Authors
- Plouffe L Jr, Stewart K, Craft KS et al.
- Journal
- American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
- Year
- 1993
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 100
- What was tested
- Structured diagnostic protocol and standard treatment
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0002-9378(93)90079-x
Topics
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