Survey study, 2013
Is there a link between PMS/PMDD symptoms and trauma from natural disasters?
Yes, nine months after a major earthquake, girls with PTSD showed significantly higher rates and severity of PMS and PMDD symptoms. Symptom severity increased with PTSD severity.
What they did
Researchers studied 1,180 high school girls in Sendai, Japan, nine months after the Great East-Japan Earthquake in March 2011. The schools were located inland and were not damaged by the tsunami. Girls completed questionnaires measuring premenstrual symptoms and PTSD symptoms. Of the girls, 118 (10%) were classified as having PTSD.
What they found
The prevalence rates of PMDD and moderate-to-severe PMS increased according to the presence and severity of PTSD (p less than 0.001). Girls with PTSD showed a clear correlation between the severity of PMS/PMDD and natural disaster-induced PTSD.
What it means for you
Trauma can be associated with worsening PMS/PMDD symptoms. Women experiencing both PTSD and PMS/PMDD may need coordinated treatment for both conditions. The study was cross-sectional and specific to one earthquake in Japan, so causation is unclear.
1,180
girls studied
118
had PTSD (10%)
p<0.001
correlation between PTSD and PMS/PMDD severity
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual symptoms and posttraumatic stress disorder in Japanese high school students 9 months after the great East-Japan earthquake
- Authors
- Takeda T, Tadakawa M, Koga S et al.
- Journal
- The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
- Year
- 2013
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 1,489
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1620/tjem.230.151
Topics
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