How common is PMS in female athletes across different sports and ages?

In recent years the issue of premenstrual syndrome, with its variety in somatic and psychological manifestations (both psychosomatics and somatopsychology) has been paid to much attention of gynecologists, endocrinologists and psychologists.Nevertheless, there are only few reports on the study of premenstrual syndrome in female athletes of different age groups, this is especially true for Ukrainian sports medicine. This article presents the results of a longitudinal study on the characteristics of somatic and psychological manifestations of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in female athletes of different age groups and in various sports. The article provides the comparative analysis of the data reported by national and international researchers on this problem; describes the variations in the PMS development in each of the examined age groups. It has been found out based on the analysis of the obtained results, various somatic PMS manifestations are identified in 222 (74.00%) of all athletes, and the psychological PM manifestations are typical for 192 (63.00%) athletes, while combined PMS manifestations with moderately pronounced and significantly pronounced somato-psychological and psycho-somatological manifestations of PMS, were identified in 194 (64.67%) of all female athletes in the three age groups studied. Analysis of the study results has shown the most pronounced PMS manifestations are found in groups of athletes of juvenile and I reproductive age. Thus, among young athletes representing 10 sports, somatic PMS manifestations of PMS were detected in 127 (81.94%) athletes, psychological manifestations were detected in 109 (70.32%) athletes, and combined manifestations – in 111 (71.61%) athletes. 34 (87.18%) athletes of this group demonstrate somatic PMS manifestations, equal shares 29 (74.35%) of athlets have psychological combined PMS manifestations. The data of additional interviewing and the results of the survey directly indicate a significant prevalence of PMS in all types of modern women's sports and in all age groups, being the factor, that significantly decrease in the performance of athletes, both in the competitive and in the training period of their activities.

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