Study, 2011
Do daily symptom rating scales match what women report in interviews about PMS severity?
Yes, when compared on the same day. When looking at ratings averaged over seven days, they matched well for women with severe or no symptoms, but less well for women with mild or moderate symptoms.
What they did
Researchers interviewed 22 women about their PMS symptoms and asked them to rate their symptoms every day. The interviews were conducted during the luteal phase (the phase before the period starts). Researchers compared what women said in interviews with their daily symptom ratings.
What they found
When comparing ratings from the day of the interview with what women reported in the interview, there was strong agreement. When comparing seven days of ratings with the interviews, women with no symptoms or severe symptoms showed good agreement between the two methods. Women with mild or moderate symptoms showed less consistent agreement between the daily ratings and the interviews.
What it means for you
Single-day ratings match interviews well. Weekly averages work well for women with severe or no symptoms, but less well for mild-moderate symptoms. The study is small and only included women who agreed to interviews, so findings may not apply to all women with PMS.
22
women interviewed
5
with severe symptoms
8
with mild symptoms
About the study
- Original title
- How to determine symptom severity in premenstrual syndrome: a combination of daily symptom ratings and interviews
- Authors
- Nyberg S
- Journal
- Sexual & reproductive healthcare : official journal of the Swedish Association of Midwives
- Year
- 2011
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 8
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2011.07.001