Survey study, 2025
Is childhood trauma connected to premenstrual syndrome?
Yes, women with premenstrual syndrome experienced more childhood abuse and neglect, which were associated with more severe symptoms. The evidence is limited because only 437 women were surveyed in Turkey.
What they did
This cross-sectional study surveyed 437 Turkish women aged 18-49 between September 2023 and January 2024 using online questionnaires about premenstrual symptoms and childhood trauma including emotional neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse.
What they found
55.6% of women had premenstrual syndrome. Women with PMS had higher levels of all types of childhood trauma compared to women without PMS. Emotional neglect and physical abuse specifically increased PMS severity.
What it means for you
If you experienced childhood trauma, your PMS symptoms may be more severe, and treatment may benefit from addressing trauma history. A trauma-informed approach could help. The main limitations are cross-sectional design (showing association not causation), moderate sample size, and the study is from Turkey so may not apply to other populations.
55.6%
had premenstrual syndrome
0.163
effect of emotional neglect on PMS
0.121
effect of physical abuse on PMS
About the study
- Original title
- Impact of childhood trauma history on premenstrual syndrome in women of reproductive age: A cross-sectional study
- Authors
- Yesildere Saglam H, Gürsoy E, Karakuş A
- Journal
- Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 437
- What was tested
- None - observational survey
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/jep.14172
Topics
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