Skip to content

Survey study, 2015

Does menstrual pain cause emotional stress in young women?

Among women aged 17-35 with premenstrual pain, most experienced emotional stress. Women with severe pain had very high rates of mood changes (80%), irritability (60%), and unusual laughter (40%).

Early or limited evidence Women aged 17-35 with premenstrual pain (sample size not stated)

What they did

Researchers recruited women aged 17-35 who experienced premenstrual pain. They recorded the severity and location of pain and measured emotional stress using a scale called the Sadaf Stress Scale.

What they found

48% reported sharp pain, and 39% had pain in the abdomen, back, or thigh. For emotional stress, 26% were moderate, 30% mild, and 11% severe. Among women with severe pain intensity, 80% reported moodiness, 60% reported irritability, and 40% reported abnormal laughter.

What it means for you

Premenstrual pain is associated with emotional stress in young women, and severe pain links to significant mood and behavioral changes. The study did not report the sample size or compare women with and without premenstrual pain, which limits the conclusions.

48%

reported sharp pain

26%

moderate emotional stress

80%

severe pain caused moodiness

About the study

Original title
Menstruation; A cause of recurrent emotional stress in young females
Authors
Afshan Tabassum, Sadaf Ahmed, Shamoon Noushad
Journal
Annals of Psychophysiology
Year
2015
Study design
Survey study
Open access
Yes
Original abstract

The event in the early & late proliferative period of the menstrual cycle can be experienced as physical, psychological, physiological & emotional indicators, sometimes it is well observed as premenstrual syndrome (PMS) among reproductive aged women, specifically characterized by emotional & physical symptoms that consistently occur during the leutal phase of the menstrual cycle. The purpose of our study was to determine the frequency and severity of occurrence of these characterizing symptoms as well as to compare these with PMS in young girls. We also investigated about the impact of these conditions on the quality of life. Women aged 17-35 years with pre-menstrual pain were recruited in the study. PMS related data was collected on record of severity of pain while emotional stress score were calculated by using Sadaf Stress Scale (SSS). According to our results 48% of these women reported sharp pain with 39% having pain in abdomen back and thigh region. According to SSS 26% lies in moderate emotional stress, 30% in mild and 11% in severe emotional stress. Those women having severe intensity of pain reported 80% moodiness, 60% irritability and 40% abnormal laughter. The present results showed consistent and strong relationship between PMS symptoms and level of interference in all domain of women’s quality of life. We can conclude that PMS is the most common problem in women that distresses their educational performance and emotional well-being. There should be modified strategies for the detection and management of PMS on women for better quality of life.

Reproduced under CC-BY.

Topics