Survey study, 2017
Do PMS symptoms form distinct patterns related to lifestyle factors?
PMS occurs in four distinct patterns: Emotional, Psychological/Cognitive, Physical, and Consumption. Body weight and physical activity were associated with some of these patterns.
What they did
Researchers analyzed 80 women aged 18-30 who met diagnostic criteria for PMS from a larger study of 414 women. Participants completed a questionnaire about 26 premenstrual symptoms and reported their body weight, physical activity, and other factors. Researchers used statistical analysis to identify symptom patterns and their associations.
What they found
Four distinct symptom patterns emerged. Body mass index was associated with the Consumption pattern (p=0.03 in the PMS subset, p=0.04 in the full study). Physical activity was inversely associated with the Physical pattern (p=0.04) but positively associated with the Consumption pattern (p=0.03).
What it means for you
PMS may consist of distinct subtypes that respond differently to lifestyle factors. This could allow future treatments to target a woman's specific PMS type. The study was small and cross-sectional, and the meaning of the Consumption pattern is not fully clear from the abstract.
80
women with PMS studied
414
women total in study
4
distinct symptom patterns
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual Symptom Patterns and Behavioral Risk Factors in Young Women: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Authors
- Quintana-Zinn FA, Whitcomb BW, Ronnenberg AG et al.
- Journal
- Journal of women's health (2002)
- Year
- 2017
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 80
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2016.5921
Topics
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