--- title: Are the symptoms of PMS different from heavy periods and severe period pain? description: No. Women with PMS, heavy periods, and severe period pain have many overlapping symptoms. Depression is the main symptom that makes women seek help for PMS, a url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/perimenstrual-complaints-in-women-complaining-of-pms-menorrhagia-and-1993/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Are the symptoms of PMS different from heavy periods and severe period pain? Study, 1993 # Are the symptoms of PMS different from heavy periods and severe period pain? No. Women with PMS, heavy periods, and severe period pain have many overlapping symptoms. Depression is the main symptom that makes women seek help for PMS, and it is linked to cycle timing, personality, and bleeding severity. Moderate study design 101 women with heavy periods, 104 with PMS, 56 with severe period pain, and 105 healthy controls ## What they did Compared four groups: 101 women with heavy periods, 104 with PMS, 56 with severe period pain, and 105 healthy controls. Measured symptoms that occur around menstruation, amount of bleeding, severity of pain, and personality factors. ## What they found The three patient groups showed considerable symptom overlap. Depressive symptoms were the most important reason women sought help for PMS and were linked to cycle timing, menstrual bleeding, and personality. Food cravings were notably different in the PMS group compared to others and may be linked to serotonin changes in the brain. ## What it means for you PMS, heavy periods, and severe period pain share many symptoms, so women may have more than one condition. Depression is what typically drives women to seek treatment for PMS. This suggests different causes and treatments may be needed for different conditions. Because this was observational, we cannot determine whether these factors cause the symptoms. 104 women with PMS 101 women with heavy periods 56 women with severe period pain ## About the study Original title Perimenstrual complaints in women complaining of PMS, menorrhagia, and dysmenorrhea: toward a dismantling of the premenstrual syndrome Authors Bancroft J, Williamson L, Warner P et al. Journal Psychosomatic medicine Year 1993 Study design Study Participants 105 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1097/00006842-199303000-00001](https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-199303000-00001) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Appetite and food cravings](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-food-cravings/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/) 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 Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Survey study, 2017 Does painful menstruation affect adolescent girls' mood, emotions, sleep, and thinking? Case-control study, 2015 Do women with fibromyalgia have more premenstrual syndrome and period pain than other women? Study, 2015 Does treating the uterus with injections and freezing help severe PMS and PMDD? Study, 1993 Do birth control pills change PMS symptoms? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗