Survey study, 2024
Where do women with PMS and PMDD seek help, and do they feel heard by healthcare providers?
About two-thirds of 530 women sought help, with more seeking information online (45.93%) than formal healthcare (11.34%). However, 78.49% felt their symptoms were not taken seriously by formal healthcare providers.
What they did
Online survey of 530 women in the UK with PMS or PMDD symptoms. Measured help-seeking behaviors, where they sought help (online or formal), and their experiences with healthcare providers.
What they found
All 530 participants endorsed at least one PMS symptom; 97.17% experienced functional impairment. 64.91% sought help: 45.93% online, 11.34% formal, 42.73% both. Most looked up symptoms online (85.57%) and treatment options (39.67%). 78.49% felt symptoms were not taken seriously by formal providers.
What it means for you
Many women with PMS try to find answers online rather than seeing a doctor, and many feel dismissed by formal healthcare. This points to a need for better online resources and improved provider training. The main limitation is this is survey data and may not represent all women with PMS.
530
Women surveyed
78.49%
Felt symptoms not taken seriously by formal providers
97.17%
Experienced functional impairment from symptoms
About the study
- Original title
- Help-seeking behaviours and experiences for mental health symptoms related to the menstrual cycle: a UK-wide exploratory survey
- Authors
- Erin Lucy Funnell, Nayra Anna Martin-Key, Benedetta Spadaro et al.
- Journal
- npj Women s Health
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 530
- What was tested
- None (observational survey of help-seeking behaviors)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1038/s44294-023-00004-w
Original abstract
Abstract Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) are menstrual cycle-related disorders characterised by psychological and physical symptoms which impact functioning. Little is known about avenues for help-seeking for these disorders. Therefore, we sought to examine help-seeking behaviors and experiences, and investigate differences between identified PMS and PMDD groups. An online survey was delivered and data from 530 participants were analysed. All participants endorsed at least one PMS symptom, with 97.17% experiencing functional impairment. Help was sought by 64.91% (online: 45.93%; formal: 11.34%; online and formal: 42.73%), with 78.49% perceiving their symptoms were not taken seriously when seeking formal help. Most sought help online to look up symptoms (85.57%) and treatment options (39.67%). The study revealed the high frequency of PMS symptoms and the impact on wellbeing, as well as the significant proportion of online help-seekers, emphasizing the need for high-quality, evidence-based online resources and improvement of formal care interactions.
Reproduced under CC-BY.
Topics
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