Survey study, 2020
How common are premenstrual symptoms in secondary school students?
Very common: 82.5% had mood swings or nervousness and 80.1% had fatigue. Educational level and age were associated with symptom severity.
What they did
246 female secondary school students aged 16 to 21 in Saudi Arabia answered a questionnaire about premenstrual symptoms and menstrual cycle features.
What they found
82.5% had mood swings or nervousness, 80.1% had fatigue, 74.8% had too much or too little sleep, 69.9% had appetite changes, 67.1% had muscle or joint pain, 65.0% had concentration difficulty, 58.9% had low interest in usual activities, 58.5% had depression, 54.5% had headaches, 52.4% had bloating, and 51.2% had aggression. 40.7% had irregular menstrual cycles.
What it means for you
Premenstrual symptoms are very common in secondary school students and affect school performance. The study only looked at one school in Saudi Arabia using a questionnaire, so results may not apply elsewhere or diagnose PMDD properly.
246
students
82.5%
with mood swings or nervousness
80.1%
with fatigue
About the study
- Original title
- Prevalence and Determinant of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder among Secondary School Female Students, Makkah Al-Mokarramah, Saudi Arabia
- Authors
- Sara Saleh Aljebali, Layla Alofi
- Journal
- Journal of the Medical Sciences (Berkala Ilmu Kedokteran)
- Year
- 2020
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 246
- What was tested
- None (survey)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.12691/ajmsm-8-6-2
Topics
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