How common is PMS among female students and does it affect their quality of life?

Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) includes a combination of physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms that occur cyclically during the menstrual period primarily due to hormonal fluctuations and may impair daily functioning with reduced quality of life. The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of PMS and its impact on quality of life among female students aged 18-30 years. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted between March and May 2026 among 380 female students from selected institutions in Budgam district. Data was collected using a structured self-administered online questionnaire that included information on sociodemographic characteristics, menstrual history, lifestyle factors, and dietary habits. Premenstrual symptoms were assessed using the Shortened Premenstrual Assessment Form (SPAF), while quality of life was measured using the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Chi-square tests were used to examine the association, and independent sample t-tests were performed to compare the quality of life between the participant groups. All the statistical analyses were performed using STATA. Results: The prevalence of PMS was found to be 58.4% among the participants. The most common reported symptoms included backache, joint and muscle aches, and abdominal heaviness. Significant associations were observed between PMS and dysmenorrhoea, family history of PMS, physical inactivity, caffeine intake, high salt consumption, beverage intake, and junk food consumption. Students with PMS reported significantly lower quality-of-life scores across all SF-36 domains compared with those without PMS. Conclusion: A substantial proportion of medical students experienced distressing symptoms in the premenstrual phase, which adversely impacted their quality of life.

Reproduced under CC-BY.