--- title: How common are PMS and dysmenorrhea in young women and do they change over time? description: Both are very common. PMS affected 80% of Australian women at some point over 13 years; dysmenorrhea affected 60%. Both tend to persist if present, but women url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-syndrome-and-dysmenorrhea-symptom-trajectories-over-13-years-in-2014/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How common are PMS and dysmenorrhea in young women and do they change over time? Cohort study, 2014 # How common are PMS and dysmenorrhea in young women and do they change over time? Both are very common. PMS affected 80% of Australian women at some point over 13 years; dysmenorrhea affected 60%. Both tend to persist if present, but women follow different patterns: some have symptoms continuously, others develop them later, some recover, and some have them on and off. Strong study design 9671 young Australian women randomly sampled from the Medicare database, followed for 13 years ## What they did Prospective cohort study of 9671 young Australian women randomly selected from the Medicare database. They were surveyed repeatedly over 13 years about premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea symptoms to identify distinct patterns of symptom development. ## What they found PMS prevalence ranged from 33% to 41% at any given time; dysmenorrhea from 21% to 26%. Among women who reported symptoms in three consecutive surveys, 75% continued reporting PMS and 70% dysmenorrhea. Four trajectory patterns were found for both conditions. PMS occurred in 80% of women over the study period: 22.1% intermittently, 21.9% late onset, 26.5% recovering, and 29.5% chronic. Dysmenorrhea affected 60% of women with similar patterns. Smoking and illicit drug use were more common among women with persistent PMS; smoking and obesity were more common among women with persistent dysmenorrhea. ## What it means for you These conditions are very common and often long-lasting rather than one-time experiences. Different women follow different patterns, which may help identify who will need ongoing treatment. This describes Australian women so may not apply equally to other countries. 9671 women followed for 13 years 80% experienced PMS at some point 29.5% had chronic PMS throughout the study ## About the study Original title Premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea: symptom trajectories over 13 years in young adults Authors Ju H, Jones M, Mishra GD Journal Maturitas Year 2014 Study design Cohort study Participants 9,671 What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.03.008](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.03.008) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Alcohol, smoking and substance use](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-substance-use/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2025 Does alcohol use affect menstrual health in teenage girls? Survey study, 2020 Is period pain common in Polish women and what causes it? Case-control study, 1991 How common are premenstrual symptoms in teenage girls, and what factors affect them? Survey study, 2026 How common is PMS among college-going girls in India? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗