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.
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
Topics
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