---
title: How many Icelandic women actually experience premenstrual syndrome when tracked with daily diaries?
description: Only 2.4% showed a clear premenstrual syndrome pattern. This was much lower than a previous study that relied on memory, showing that daily tracking gives dif
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/prospective-assessment-of-menstrual-and-premenstrual-experiences-of-icelandic-1998/
---

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- How many Icelandic women actually experience premenstrual syndrome when tracked with daily diaries?

Cohort study, 1998

# How many Icelandic women actually experience premenstrual syndrome when tracked with daily diaries?

Only 2.4% showed a clear premenstrual syndrome pattern. This was much lower than a previous study that relied on memory, showing that daily tracking gives different results than asking women to remember.

 Moderate study design

83 Icelandic women

## What they did

A prospective study where 83 Icelandic women kept daily health diaries tracking 211 menstrual cycles total. Researchers identified symptom patterns for each woman.

## What they found

A small majority of women (51.8%) displayed a low symptom pattern. Only 2 women (2.4%) demonstrated a premenstrual syndrome pattern. 5 women (6.0%) exhibited a premenstrual magnification pattern (symptoms both before and during menstruation). The remaining women displayed mixed symptom patterns showing wide variability. These findings differed from a previous Icelandic retrospective study and from a USA prospective study.

## What it means for you

How women experience and remember premenstrual symptoms is shaped by cultural beliefs. Daily tracking showed far lower symptom rates than retrospective studies, suggesting cultural expectations influence what women notice and report. Limitation: the study included only Icelandic women, so findings may not apply widely.

2.4%

Women with premenstrual syndrome pattern

51.8%

Women with low symptom pattern

83

Number of women studied

## About the study

Original title Prospective assessment of menstrual and premenstrual experiences of Icelandic women Authors Sveinsdóttir H Journal Health care for women international Year 1998 Study design Cohort study Participants 83 What was tested None (observational) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/073993398246593](https://doi.org/10.1080/073993398246593)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/)

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