Survey study, 2019
How common is premenstrual syndrome among medical students?
About 3 out of 4 medical students in this study had PMS. Mood swings and anxiety were most common.
What they did
Researchers surveyed 207 medical students over three months in Pondicherry, India. Students answered questions about their menstrual symptoms and were screened for depression. A diagnosis of PMS required at least one mood symptom like mood swings or anxiety and one physical symptom like breast tenderness or bloating.
What they found
Of 207 students, 155 (74.87%) had PMS. Most had mild (60.6%) or moderate (38.4%) PMS, with 4.5% experiencing severe PMS. Mood swings were reported by 81.9%, anxiety by 80%, and fatigue by 71.6%. Breast complaints, joint pain, bloating, and weight gain were each reported by 67-71% of students. Depression was found in 52.9%.
What it means for you
PMS is very common among medical students and significantly affects their mood and physical wellbeing. The main limitation is that the study only included medical students in one college in India, so these findings may not apply to all women.
207
students surveyed
74.87%
had PMS
81.9%
had mood swings
About the study
- Original title
- Study of the magnitude of premenstrual syndrome in a tertiary care institute in Pondicherry, India
- Authors
- Jessy Varghese, Vijaya Koothan, V. Sujaritha
- Journal
- International Journal of Reproduction Contraception Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Year
- 2019
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 207
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20192130
Topics
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