Survey study, 1993
How common are period-related symptoms in Italian women, and do they differ from American women?
Period-related symptoms are common in Italian women, occurring most often during the menstrual phase. Italian women reported more symptoms overall than American women, though the difference was smaller for premenstrual symptoms.
What they did
They randomly invited 426 Italian women aged 20-49 to a screening project. 306 women participated (71.8%), and 239 were eligible after excluding women who were postmenopausal, had a hysterectomy, or were pregnant. All 239 completed a standardized questionnaire about menstrual symptoms. Researchers compared Italian symptom rates to American rates from a previous study.
What they found
Italian women reported the highest symptom prevalence during the menstrual phase and the lowest during the rest of the cycle. Italian women reported higher symptom prevalence overall than American women across all three cycle phases, though the difference was smallest during the premenstrual phase. Symptoms like breast tenderness, tension, and avoiding social activities were reported at similar rates by both groups.
What it means for you
Premenstrual and menstrual symptoms are common in women across different cultures, even among women who have not specifically identified themselves as having PMS. This supports that PMS is a real biological condition. The higher rates in Italian women may reflect cultural differences in symptom reporting.
239
Italian women studied
71.8%
participation rate
306/426
women who participated
About the study
- Original title
- Perimenstrual symptom prevalence rates: an Italian-American comparison
- Authors
- Monagle L, Dan A, Krogh V et al.
- Journal
- American journal of epidemiology
- Year
- 1993
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 239
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116825
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