--- title: How common are PMS and PMDD among women in India? | Niyora description: Very common. About 43% of Indian women have PMS and 8% have PMDD, with even higher rates of 49.6% in adolescents. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/prevalence-of-premenstrual-syndrome-and-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-in-india-2021/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How common are PMS and PMDD among women in India? Systematic review, 2021 # How common are PMS and PMDD among women in India? Very common. About 43% of Indian women have PMS and 8% have PMDD, with even higher rates of 49.6% in adolescents. Strong study design 8,542 women of reproductive age in India from 25 studies ## What they did Meta-analysis combining 25 studies from 2000 to 2020 (8,542 women total) that measured how many Indian women had PMS or PMDD. They pooled the results to estimate overall prevalence. ## What they found Pooled prevalence of PMS was 43% (95% confidence interval 0.35 to 0.50). PMDD prevalence was 8% (95% CI 0.60 to 0.10). In adolescence, PMS prevalence was higher at 49.6%. ## What it means for you Nearly half of Indian women experience PMS, making it a major health issue. The main limit is that estimates vary widely between studies, suggesting the true number may be different. 43% Overall PMS prevalence 8% PMDD prevalence 49.6% PMS prevalence in adolescents ## About the study Original title Prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis Authors Dutta A, Sharma A Journal Health promotion perspectives Year 2021 Study design Systematic review What was tested None. This measured how common PMS is, not tested a treatment. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.34172/hpp.2021.20](https://doi.org/10.34172/hpp.2021.20) Original abstract Background: The burden and impact of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is not well characterised among Indian population. Therefore, we conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of PMS and PMDD among females of reproductive age group living in India. Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and IndMed for studies reporting the prevalence of PMS and/ or PMDD from any part of India, published from 2000 up to Aug 2020. We performed random-effects meta-analyses evaluated using I 2 statistic, subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses and assessed study quality. Estimated prevalence along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported for each outcome of interest. The quality of each study was evaluated using modified Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS). This review was conducted following the standard of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. The protocol was registered prospectively in PROSPERO (CRD42020199787). Results: Our search identified 524 citations in total, of which 25 studies (22 reported PMS, and 11 reported PMDD) with 8542 participants were finally included. The pooled prevalence of PMS and PMDD were 43% (95% CI: 0.35-0.50) and 8% (95% CI: 0.60-0.10) respectively. The estimated prevalence of PMS in adolescence was higher and account to be 49.6% (95% CI: 0.40-0.59). The heterogeneity for all the estimates was very high and could be explained through several factors involved within and between studies. Conclusion: This study identified a substantially high prevalence of PMS and PMDD in India. To identify potentially related factors, more focused epidemiological research is warranted. However, noticing the fact of significant prevalence and its potential impact on the population, stakeholders and policymakers need to address this problem at the community and individual level. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/) 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 Cohort study, 2026 What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms? Systematic review, 2026 How often do mood disorders and PMS or PMDD occur together? Systematic review, 2026 Does vitamin D supplementation help PMS symptoms? Study, 2026 How do women with PMDD process emotions differently in their brains? Systematic review, 2026 Why do some women experience mood changes linked to their menstrual cycle? Systematic review, 2026 How much of PMDD treatment improvement comes from placebo effect? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗