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Survey study, 2010

How much does moderate to severe PMS affect quality of life and daily activities?

Moderate to severe PMS significantly reduces quality of life and interferes with hobbies, social activities and relationships compared to mild or no symptoms. This is moderate confidence from a large multinational study.

Moderate study design 1477 women aged 15-45 from multiple countries screened for PMS or PMDD

What they did

Web-based study of 1477 women aged 15-45 from multiple countries screened for PMS or PMDD. Women tracked symptom severity over two menstrual cycles using a daily record and completed a quality of life questionnaire at baseline.

What they found

822 women (56%) completed both questionnaires. Women with moderate-to-severe PMS/PMDD had lower mental component scores (34.5 versus 39.0) and lower physical component scores (48.9 versus 51.1) compared to mild or no symptoms. They experienced 5.6 days of interference with hobbies or social activities versus 1.1 days, and 5.4 days of relationship interference versus 1.1 days in the mild group.

What it means for you

Moderate to severe PMS significantly impacts how women feel, their social life and their relationships. This is a large multinational study, but it is observational so we can't prove carbohydrates cause the problem.

1477

women enrolled

5.6 vs 1.1

days of social activity interference

56%

completed both questionnaires

About the study

Original title
Explorative evaluation of the impact of premenstrual disorder on daily functioning and quality of life
Authors
Heinemann LA, Do Minh T, Filonenko A et al.
Journal
The patient
Year
2010
Study design
Survey study
Participants
1,477
What was tested
None

Topics