--- title: Does PMS make quality of life worse around your period compared to painful periods alone? description: Yes. Women with painful periods had lower quality of life around menstruation whether or not they also had PMS, but those with PMS scored a bit lower during t url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/primary-dysmenorrhea-with-and-without-premenstrual-syndrome-variation-in-quality-2019/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does PMS make quality of life worse around your period compared to painful periods alone? Survey study, 2019 # Does PMS make quality of life worse around your period compared to painful periods alone? Yes. Women with painful periods had lower quality of life around menstruation whether or not they also had PMS, but those with PMS scored a bit lower during that time. Early or limited evidence 52 female university students, aged 18-30, in Tabriz, Iran, with painful periods and PMS, vs 64 similar students without PMS ## What they did Researchers studied 52 female university students in Tabriz, Iran, aged 18-30, who had moderate or severe painful periods and also had PMS (another 64 had painful periods without PMS). Each woman rated her quality of life twice: once on days 3-4 of her cycle (around menstruation) and once on days 11-12 (late follicular phase, before ovulation), using a standard quality of life questionnaire. ## What they found In the PMS group, quality of life scores dropped from 79 in the late follicular phase to 48 around menstruation (a drop of 31 points). In the non-PMS group, scores dropped from 78 to 56 (confidence interval -27 to -18, so a real but smaller drop). During menstrual-period days, the PMS group scored 8 points lower than the non-PMS group. There was almost no difference between the groups during the late follicular phase. ## What it means for you Painful periods lower quality of life around menstruation regardless of PMS, but PMS adds a further small reduction during that perimenstrual week. The study only looked at young, single university students in one city, had no treatment or control comparison, and was a one-time observational snapshot, so it cannot show cause and effect or apply broadly to all women. 79 vs 48 Quality of life, PMS group: late follicular vs perimenstrual 78 vs 56 Quality of life, non-PMS group: late follicular vs perimenstrual -8 points Difference between groups during perimenstrual week ## About the study Original title Primary dysmenorrhea with and without premenstrual syndrome: variation in quality of life over menstrual phases Authors Quick F, Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi S, Mirghafourvand M Journal Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation Year 2019 Study design Survey study Participants 52 What was tested None tested; this was an observational comparison of quality of life across two points in the menstrual cycle Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1999-9](https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1999-9) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[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 Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Survey study, 2026 How common is PMDD among college women and what increases the risk? Survey study, 2026 Can self-compassion improve emotional well-being in women with PMS? Review, 2026 How much do PMS and menstrual disorders affect women's work, school, and quality of life? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗