Survey study, 2005

What are the main symptom types of PMDD?

The study found that mood symptoms are most important in PMDD, but physical symptoms and feeling overwhelmed are also significant. Since this was a survey of college students in Brazil, the findings may not apply to all women.

Early or limited evidence 513 female college students in Brazil

What they did

They surveyed 513 female college students in Brazil about PMDD symptoms using diagnostic criteria. They also measured depression using a standard test. They analyzed the data to see which symptoms cluster together.

What they found

The analysis showed mood symptoms were most important, physical symptoms and feeling out of control or overwhelmed were also major, and behavioral symptoms were less important. Women with PMDD had significantly higher depression scores than women without PMDD.

What it means for you

PMDD involves multiple types of symptoms - mood, physical, and emotional control. Since this study only looked at college students in Brazil, results may not apply to older women or women in other countries. Depression often comes with PMDD and should be treated separately.

513

female college students

About the study

Original title: Premenstrual dysphoric symptoms amongst Brazilian college students: factor structure and methodological appraisal
Authors: Teng CT, Filho AH, Artes R et al.
Journal: European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience
Year: 2005
Study design: Survey study
Participants: 513
What was tested: None
Read the paper: doi.org/10.1007/s00406-004-0535-9

Topics

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)Low mood and depression Major depressive disorder Students and academic performance

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