--- title: How common is PMS and other menstrual problems in teenage girls? description: Very common. 95% of girls who completed the survey reported some menstrual disorder, and 65% had PMS symptoms. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-patterns-and-disorders-among-secondary-school-adolescents-in-egypt-a-2015/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How common is PMS and other menstrual problems in teenage girls? Survey study, 2015 # How common is PMS and other menstrual problems in teenage girls? Very common. 95% of girls who completed the survey reported some menstrual disorder, and 65% had PMS symptoms. Moderate study design 412 secondary school girls in Egypt (mean age 14.67 years) ## What they did A survey of secondary school girls in Egypt. 800 girls were given questionnaires and 412 (about half) completed them from September 2012 to December 2013. The questionnaire asked about menstrual cycles, period pain, and PMS symptoms. ## What they found Of the 412 girls who responded, 382 (95%) reported menstrual disorders. Painful periods were most common at 93%, followed by PMS at 65%, and irregular cycle lengths at 43%. Menstrual problems disrupted the social life of 33% of girls and their school attendance for 7.7%. Only 8.9% of girls had consulted a doctor about their periods. ## What it means for you Menstrual problems including PMS are extremely common in teenage girls, but most do not seek medical help even though their symptoms affect school and friendships. The main limitations are the low response rate (51.5%) and that the study was only in Egypt, so patterns may differ elsewhere. 412 girls surveyed 95% reported menstrual disorders 65% had PMS ## About the study Original title Menstrual patterns and disorders among secondary school adolescents in Egypt. A cross-sectional survey Authors Abdelmoty HI, Youssef MA, Abdallah S et al. Journal BMC women's health Year 2015 Study design Survey study Participants 800 What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1186/s12905-015-0228-8](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-015-0228-8) Original abstract Background: To our knowledge, no large population - based studies have been performed on the topic of menstrual patterns among Egyptian adolescent in recent years. The aims of this study were to identify menstrual patterns and associated disorders as well as the sources of menstrual health knowledge among Egyptian adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional survey. A total of 800 questionnaires were administered to post-menarcheal Egyptian adolescents attending secondary schools in Giza, Egypt, from September 1, 2012, to December 1, 2013. Participants were asked to respond to a semi-structured questionnaire on menstrual health awareness. The questionnaire included items on girl's socio-demographic and menstrual pattern characteristics, concerning their age at menarche, menstrual cycle length and regularity, duration and amount of flow, type and severity of pain related to menstruation, need for analgesia; and symptoms suggestive of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) Main Outcome Measure: description of menstrual patterns, disorders and source of knowledge. Results: Four hundred twelve (51.5 %) out of 800 adolescents completed the questionnaire. The mean age of the girls was 14.67 ± 1.7 years. Mean age at menarche was 12.49 ± 1.20 years. 382 respondents reported various menstrual disorders, giving a prevalence rate of 95 %. Dysmenorrhea was the most prevalent (93 %) menstrual disorder in our sample, followed by PMS (65 %), and abnormal cycle lengths (43 %). Menstrual disorders interfered with social and academic life of 33 and 7.7 % of respondents respectively. Most participants lacked menstrual health knowledge and only 8.9 % of girls reported consulting a physician. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the largest studies on menstrual pattern and disorders among Egyptian adolescent girls. Our Findings of the present study are consistent with other studies and reported higher than expected prevalence of menstrual disorders. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Survey study, 2006 What menstrual problems do adolescent girls experience? Survey study, 2006 How common is PMS in teenage girls in the UAE and how much does it affect them? Survey study, 2025 How much do period problems like painful periods and PMS affect college girls' daily lives? Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS and PMDD among college girls, and what are their symptoms? Survey study, 2019 What factors affect PMS severity in teenage girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗