Survey study, 2015
How common is PMS among teenage girls in rural India?
Very common: about 6 in 10 girls in this rural school reported PMS, with irritability, anxiety and anger as the most frequent symptoms.
What they did
A cross-sectional survey of 244 adolescent girl students in a rural school in West Bengal, India, done in July-August 2014. Girls were asked about PMS symptoms and other factors, and results were analysed with standard statistics.
What they found
61.5% of girls reported PMS. Irritability was reported by 84.8%, anxiety by 76.0%, confusion by 66.8%, anger by 70.5%, and depression by 62.7%. About one-third had breast pain, 55.3% faced social rejection during this time, around 55% had headache and abdominal distension, and 14.7% had limb swelling. PMS was linked to mother's occupation, heavier menstrual blood flow, and having dysmenorrhea (painful periods) (p < 0.05).
What it means for you
PMS is a major, common health issue for rural adolescent girls in this area, often linked to heavier periods and period pain. This is a one-time survey in one rural district, so it can't prove what causes PMS, only that these things occur together, and results may not apply to other regions.
61.5%
reported PMS
84.8%
reported irritability
55.3%
faced social rejection
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome among adolescent girl students in a rural school of West Bengal, India
- Authors
- Aditya Prasad Sarkar, Ranjana Mandal, Supriti Ghorai
- Journal
- International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health
- Year
- 2015
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 244
- What was tested
- None (observational survey, no treatment tested)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5455/ijmsph.2016.2407201566
Topics
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