Survey study, 2025
Can a smartphone app help diagnose and monitor PMS?
Yes. A Telegram chatbot achieved 80% active participation and tracked PMS symptoms effectively, showing promise as a tool for diagnosis and monitoring.
What they did
Cross-sectional study comparing 70 women with PMS symptoms to 88 control women without PMS in Russia. Women used a Telegram chatbot called PMS BOT to report daily symptoms, pain intensity, and mood. Researchers also measured stress hormones and micronutrient levels.
What they found
80% of women actively used the chatbot for 3 or more cycles. The most common PMS symptoms tracked were emotional changes (97.1%), insomnia (71.4%), and muscle tension (61.4%). Symptom duration decreased from 9-10 days to 6-8 days.
What it means for you
A smartphone app could help women track PMS symptoms consistently and identify patterns, potentially improving diagnosis. However, the study does not show whether the app itself helped symptoms improve or just helped women notice what was happening.
158 women
total participants
80%
active participation 3+ cycles
97.1%
had emotional symptoms
About the study
- Original title
- Innovative approaches to the diagnosis of premenstrual syndrome: the role of the Telegram bot in clinical practice
- Authors
- Л. В. Ткаченко, Natalia I. Sviridova, A. S. Yustus et al.
- Journal
- Journal of Volgograd State Medical University
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 158
- What was tested
- Use of PMS BOT Telegram chatbot for daily symptom tracking
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.19163/1994-9480-2025-22-4-182-185
Original abstract
Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common condition among women of reproductive age and is characterized by pronounced psychoemotional and somatic disturbances that significantly reduce quality of life. According to recent national reviews and clinical studies, PMS remains an underestimated cause of temporary disability and maladaptation, particularly in populations with high cognitive workloads. Pain syndromes – mastalgia, headache, abdominal pain, and musculoskeletal discomfort – represent the leading components of the PMS clinical picture and frequently coexist with emotional lability and sleep disturbances. Despite its high prevalence, PMS remains insufficiently recognized, and standardized tools for pain assessment and dynamic symptom monitoring are still lacking. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the PMS BOT Telegram-based system in the diagnosis, dynamic monitoring, and clinical assessment of PMS-related symptoms. Materials and methods: The study included 158 women of reproductive age: 70 with clinical manifestations of PMS and 88 controls. The PMS BOT chatbot facilitated daily symptom reporting, assessment of pain intensity and psychoemotional disturbances, and the generation of individualized menstrual diaries. Additional diagnostic tools included the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), the PSST questionnaire, algometry, assessment of micronutrient status (B-vitamins, 25-OH vitamin D, ferritin), and measurement of stress-related hormones (cortisol, noradrenaline, adrenaline, serotonin, prolactin). Results: The chatbot improved adherence (80 % active participation for ≥3 cycles) and provided standardized data collection. The most frequent PMS symptoms were emotional lability (97.1 %), insomnia (71.4 %), and muscle tension (61.4 %). The symptom period decreased from 9–10 to 6–8 days. Conclusion: The PMS BOT Telegram chatbot is an effective and accessible digital tool for PMS diagnosis and monitoring, improving quality of care and supporting personalized approaches in gynecology.
Reproduced under CC-BY.
Topics
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