Interview study, 2017
What psychiatric symptoms do women experience around their period?
Irritability is the most distressing symptom (66 percent), followed by bloating (18 percent) and breast pain (16 percent). Symptoms last 6 to 10 days during the premenstrual phase and improve when menstruation begins.
What they did
Researchers assessed 50 women attending a psychiatry clinic in India from 2005 to 2008 using structured questionnaires and diagnostic tools to identify perimenstrual symptoms.
What they found
The mean age was 30.7 years. The most distressing symptom was irritability in 66 percent of patients, followed by bloating in 18 percent and breast pain in 16 percent. Most patients were symptomatic for 6 to 10 days in each menstrual cycle during the premenstrual phase, with symptoms relieved after menstrual flow began.
What it means for you
Irritability is the most troubling symptom, followed by physical symptoms. Symptoms follow a clear pattern tied to the menstrual cycle. The study is small and from a single clinic in India, so results may not apply to all women.
50
women studied
66%
experienced irritability
30.7 years
mean age
About the study
- Original title
- Phenomenology of Perimenstrual Psychiatric Symptoms
- Authors
- Kumar Abhay, Krishna Singh, Chandra Prakash et al.
- Journal
- Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development
- Year
- 2017
- Study design
- Interview study
- Participants
- 50
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5958/0976-5506.2017.00153.x