Cohort study, 1997
Are PMS symptoms the same from cycle to cycle?
Yes. Mood symptoms like anxiety and irritability are the most stable. These mood symptoms, not physical symptoms, cause most of the impact on daily life.
What they did
16 women with PMS reported symptoms over 3 or more cycles (65 cycles total). Researchers tracked 14 different symptoms and grouped them into mood and physical clusters.
What they found
Mood symptoms were the most common. Anxiety, irritability, and mood changes showed the most stability across cycles. Only mood symptoms strongly correlated with functional impairment.
What it means for you
PMS follows a consistent pattern. Mood problems, not physical ones, cause most functional impact. Women's PMS may fit with mood disorders. Limitation: only 16 women studied.
16
women studied
65
menstrual cycles analyzed
14
symptoms tracked
About the study
- Original title
- Premenstrual syndrome: evidence for symptom stability across cycles
- Authors
- Bloch M, Schmidt PJ, Rubinow DR
- Journal
- The American journal of psychiatry
- Year
- 1997
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 16
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1176/ajp.154.12.1741
Topics
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