Survey study, 2012
Is there a link between premenstrual symptoms and period pain in teenage girls?
Yes, girls with worse period pain are more likely to have moderate-to-severe PMS or PMDD. However, this shows correlation, not which problem causes the other.
What they did
A cross-sectional survey of 1,431 Japanese high school students to assess the relationship between premenstrual symptoms and dysmenorrhea (period pain).
What they found
11.3% were classified with moderate to severe PMS and 3.2% with PMDD. 85% of girls had dysmenorrhea. The severity of PMS and PMDD increased with the severity of dysmenorrhea (rs=0.479).
What it means for you
Teenage girls with period pain are more likely to have PMS symptoms, and the worse the pain the more likely they are to have moderate-to-severe PMS. However, we cannot tell from this study whether pain causes PMS symptoms, PMS causes pain, or whether they share a common cause. This study was limited to Japanese adolescents and may not apply to adults or other populations.
1,431
high school students
85%
with dysmenorrhea
0.479
correlation between PMS and pain severity
About the study
- Original title
- Relationship between premenstrual symptoms and dysmenorrhea in Japanese high school students
- Authors
- Kitamura M, Takeda T, Koga S et al.
- Journal
- Archives of women's mental health
- Year
- 2012
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 1,431
- What was tested
- None (observational study)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s00737-012-0266-2
Topics
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