---
title: How common are PMS and PMDD in first-year medical students? | Niyora
description: About half (50.6%) had PMS and 8.7% had PMDD. Age at first period, weight, and BMI did not predict who had PMS or PMDD.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/frequency-of-premenstrual-syndrome-premenstrual-dysphoricdisorders-among-medical-2023/
---

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- How common are PMS and PMDD in first-year medical students?

Survey study, 2023

# How common are PMS and PMDD in first-year medical students?

About half (50.6%) had PMS and 8.7% had PMDD. Age at first period, weight, and BMI did not predict who had PMS or PMDD.

 Moderate study design

172 first-year medical students in Gujranwala, Pakistan

## What they did

Cross-sectional survey of 172 first-year medical students using the Calendar of Premenstrual Experiences questionnaire. Scores above 24 indicated PMS and scores above 30 indicated PMDD.

## What they found

87 of 172 students (50.6%) had PMS symptoms. 15 of 172 (8.7%) had PMDD. Mean age was 20.90 years, mean age at first period was 10.94 years, mean weight was 54.62 kg, and mean BMI was 23.21 kg/m squared. No significant differences in PMS or PMDD rates by age, age at first period, weight, BMI, or year of study (all p greater than 0.05).

## What it means for you

PMS is very common in medical students. Personal factors like weight and when someone started their period do not predict who gets PMS. Main limit is that this is from one college in Pakistan, so results may not apply everywhere.

172

Medical students studied

50.6%

Had PMS symptoms

8.7%

Had PMDD

## About the study

Original title Frequency of Premenstrual Syndrome & Premenstrual DysphoricDisorders among Medical Students Journal Journal of Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine. Year 2023 Study design Survey study Participants 172 What was tested None (observational study) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.70302/jpsim.v4i1.2364](https://doi.org/10.70302/jpsim.v4i1.2364)

## Topics

[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)

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