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Survey study, 2018

How common are PMS and PMDD in medical and nursing students?

About 61-64% of medical and nursing students had PMS, while about 39% had PMDD. These numbers reliably describe what researchers found in this student group.

Early or limited evidence 382 medical and nursing students in Nepal

What they did

Cross-sectional study of 382 medical and nursing students in Nepal. Students filled out questionnaires based on ACOG criteria for PMS and DSM-V criteria for PMDD, and were also asked about psychiatric symptoms.

What they found

113 (61.1%) medical students and 126 (64%) nursing students met ACOG criteria for PMS. PMDD was diagnosed in 72 (38.9%) medical students and 78 (39.6%) nursing students. The most common physical symptom was headache in 256 (77%) students, and the most common behavioral symptom was irritability in 310 (81.2%) students. Students with PMS or PMDD were more likely to have psychiatric symptoms and painful periods.

What it means for you

PMS and PMDD are very common in young medical and nursing students. Many also have psychiatric symptoms and painful periods at the same time. The main limit is this was only students in one medical college in Nepal, so results might differ elsewhere.

64%

Nursing students with PMS

81.2%

Had irritability

77%

Had headache

About the study

Original title
Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder in Medical and Nursing Students of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Nepal
Authors
Shreyashi Aryal, Babita Thapa, Sagun Ballav Pant
Journal
Nepal Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Year
2018
Study design
Survey study
Participants
382
What was tested
None - observational study
Open access
Yes

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