Survey study, 2024
What are the most common PMS symptoms in medical students and what lifestyle factors make them worse?
Anxiety, bloating, and breast tenderness are most common. Coffee drinking, eating sweets, smoking, and heavier periods are linked to worse symptoms, though this doesn't prove they cause PMS.
What they did
205 female medical students in Syria answered questionnaires about their PMS symptoms, diet, weight, smoking, and menstrual flow. Researchers looked for statistical links between these factors and symptom severity.
What they found
Anxiety was reported by 80% of students, bloating by 74.6%, and breast tenderness by 62.9%. Daily coffee was linked to weight gain and headaches. Eating more sweets before the period was linked to breast tenderness and bloating. Smoking cigarettes was linked to abdominal and back pain. Smoking shisha was linked to fatigue and bloating. Heavier menstrual flow was linked to more abdominal pain and headaches.
What it means for you
Diet and lifestyle factors may affect how severe PMS symptoms are. But this was only one university in Syria, so findings may not apply elsewhere. The study doesn't prove these factors cause PMS, only that they're linked.
80%
reported anxiety
74.6%
reported bloating
62.9%
reported breast tenderness
About the study
- Original title
- The prevalence of premenstrual syndrome symptoms and associated factors among female medical students at Al-Andalus University: a cross-sectional study
- Authors
- Safa K. Salman, Dina I. Esmandar, Enana K. Sarem et al.
- Journal
- International Journal of Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 205
- What was tested
- Lifestyle and dietary factors including coffee, sweets, smoking, weight, and menstrual flow
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-2156.intjscirep20240713
Topics
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