---
title: Should PMS always be treated as a medical problem? | Niyora
description: This article argues not necessarily. It says the idea of a common cyclical syndrome among women is questionable, and that treating the premenstrual period as
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/from-cycle-to-syndrome-and-back-again-a-social-work-response-to-pms-1988/
---

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- Should PMS always be treated as a medical problem?

Study, 1988

# Should PMS always be treated as a medical problem?

This article argues not necessarily. It says the idea of a common cyclical syndrome among women is questionable, and that treating the premenstrual period as a medical issue is also a political matter, not only a health one.

 Early or limited evidence

No specific group of women was studied; the article discusses women with premenstrual conditions in general terms.

## What they did

This is a discussion article written for social workers, not an experiment with participants. It looks at how commercial interests have encouraged women to accept PMS as medical fact, and discusses how social workers might respond when working with women who have premenstrual difficulties, without denying that some women do have real negative experiences before their period.

## What they found

The article does not report measurements or results from a study. It argues that the validity of a common cyclical syndrome among women is questionable, that commercial exploitation has led many women to accept it as fact anyway, and that medicalizing the premenstrual period is a political issue of substantial size, not just a health one.

## What it means for you

This is an opinion and discussion piece aimed at social workers, not a scientific test of a treatment. It raises questions about how PMS is framed and discussed, rather than measuring symptoms or outcomes in women.

## About the study

Original title From Cycle to Syndrome and Back Again: A Social Work Response to PMS Authors Carolyn Morell Journal Affilia Year 1988 Study design Study What was tested None tested. The article discusses ideas and practice approaches rather than a treatment. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1177/088610998800300303](https://doi.org/10.1177/088610998800300303)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

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