Do female medical students living in hostels have worse PMS than those who commute?

Objective: To compare the severity of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) between hosteller and day-scholar female students at Faisalabad Medical University, Pakistan.Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at Faisalabad Medical University, from September 2024 to March 2025. A total of 340 female students with PMS (170 hostellers and 170 day-scholars) were enrolled through convenience sampling. PMS was diagnosed according to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists criteria. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire incorporating the modified Premenstrual Syndrome Scale. PMS severity was categorized as mild, moderate, severe, or extremely severe. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and logistic regression.Results: Mean age of participants was 22.4±1.0 years. Overall, 203 (59.7%) students reported mild, 101 (29.7%) moderate, and 36 (10.6%) severe PMS, while no participant had extremely severe PMS. Hosteller students experienced significantly greater symptom severity than day-scholars. Severe anxiety (49.4% vs. 24.7%), mood swings (55.9% vs. 30.0%), social withdrawal (56.5% vs. 39.4%), menstrual cramps (62.4% vs. 46.5%), and menstrual backache (63.5% vs. 45.2%) were more common among hostellers (p<0.05). Menstrual backache (55.0%) and menstrual cramps (54.4%) were the most frequently reported severe symptoms overall. Logistic regression identified fatigue (OR=1.80, 95% CI: 1.16–2.79; p=0.008) and breast tenderness (OR=1.57, 95% CI: 1.02–2.40; p=0.039) as significant predictors of increased PMS severity.Conclusion: PMS is highly prevalent among female medical students, with hosteller students experiencing significantly greater symptom severity than day scholars. Targeted support, health education, and stress-management interventions may help reduce the burden of PMS among hostel residents.

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