--- title: How common are painful periods and PMS in medical students and how much do they affect their lives? description: Painful periods affected 41.5% and PMS affected 62.02% of medical students. These caused significant problems including missing school for up to a week or mor url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/prevalence-of-primary-dysmenorrhea-and-premenstrual-symptoms-in-medical-college-2025/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How common are painful periods and PMS in medical students and how much do they affect their lives? Survey study, 2025 # How common are painful periods and PMS in medical students and how much do they affect their lives? Painful periods affected 41.5% and PMS affected 62.02% of medical students. These caused significant problems including missing school for up to a week or more, trouble concentrating, and sleep problems. Most students did not seek professional help. Early or limited evidence Female medical students aged 18-29 (1-year study) ## What they did Observational study of female medical students aged 18-29 over 1 year. Students completed questionnaires measuring painful periods and PMS symptoms and how these affected their academic life. ## What they found 41.5% had painful periods and 62.02% had PMS symptoms. Some students missed 1-2 days of college per year, while 14.1% missed more than one week. 12.4% had trouble concentrating, 10.5% experienced social withdrawal, 12.7% had sleep problems and 9.5% had disrupted daily activities. Common symptoms included abdominal pain (19.4%), crying (9.9%), mood swings (8.9%), insomnia (9.2%), breast pain (8.2%) and lack of decisiveness (6.5%). Most students used pain medication (33.4%) or hot showers (19.7%) to cope. Only 8.9% saw a gynecologist. ## What it means for you Painful periods and PMS are common in medical students and significantly affect their academic work, sleep and social life. Most students did not seek professional help. Larger studies are needed to better understand prevalence and guide students toward professional support. 41.5% with painful periods 62.02% with PMS symptoms 14.1% missed more than one week ## About the study Original title Prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptoms in medical college students and its impact on academic performance and their willingness to seek help Authors Nasrin Fatima, A Naseema, Latika Sahu et al. Journal World Journal of Biology Pharmacy and Health Sciences Year 2025 Study design Survey study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.30574/wjbphs.2025.23.1.0648](https://doi.org/10.30574/wjbphs.2025.23.1.0648) Original abstract Aim: Assess the prevalence and impact of primary dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptoms on the academic performance of medical students and their willingness to seek help. Method: An observational study was conducted among female medical students aged 18-29 years for 1 year. After written and informed consent, a standard questionnaire and Modified Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ)was used to assess the prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptoms and its impact on the academic life. And the willingness to seek help was assessed. Findings: The prevalence of primary dysmenorrhoea was 41.5% in this study.62.02% had premenstrual symptoms.14.1% had absenteeism from college/ work for 1-2days per year, 14.1% had absenteeism for more than one week, 12.4% had lack of concentration and 10.5% suffered from social withdrawal. Disturbance in sleep routine and daily activities were noted in 12.7% and 9.5% of the participants respectively. The most common premenstrual symptoms were crying (9.9%). Premenstrual symptoms such as mood swings (8.9%), lack of decisiveness (6.5%), abdominal pain (19.4%), breast pain (8.2%) and insomnia (9.2%) were also noted. 9.8% exercised, 19.7% used hot shower, 5.1% used hot pack, and 33.4% used analgesics as a coping mechanism for dysmenorrhoea. 8.9% consulted a gynaecologist for the dysmenorrhoea and 91% did not consult as they were medical students and were aware of the condition themselves. Conclusion: Primary dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptoms are widely prevalent among the medical students.Larger study should be conducted to assess the prevalence of premenstrual symptoms and dysmenorrhea and guide them to seek professional help so as to reduce the impact on their social, physical, academic and mental health. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) 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 Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does video-guided digital menstrual exercise reduce PMS and period pain in adolescent girls? Survey study, 2023 What factors make premenstrual syndrome worse in nursing students? Survey study, 2023 What factors make PMS worse in college students? Survey study, 2020 Does poor sleep worsen PMS and other menstrual problems? Survey study, 2019 What lifestyle and sleep habits are linked to PMS in teenage girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗