Study, 2022
How many women diagnosed with PMS from memory actually have it when tracked daily?
Only about 49% of women diagnosed with PMS by looking back were diagnosed with PMS when they tracked symptoms daily. Women with confirmed PMS had worse quality of life and daily functioning during the second half of their cycle compared to the first half.
What they did
Researchers studied 264 women of reproductive age. Instead of asking women to remember PMS symptoms, they had women rate mood symptoms every day for one full menstrual cycle and report quality of life and daily functioning every 3 days.
What they found
About 49% of women diagnosed with PMS using retrospective assessment (looking back) were diagnosed when assessed prospectively (daily tracking during one cycle). Women with PMS had much worse quality of life and daily functioning during the luteal phase (after ovulation) than the follicular phase (before ovulation). Cognitive difficulties and related physical symptoms were what most affected daily functioning during the luteal phase.
What it means for you
Many women who think they have PMS based on memory may not actually meet the criteria when symptoms are tracked daily. This suggests PMS may be overdiagnosed when diagnosed from memory. For women confirmed to have PMS through daily tracking, cognitive and physical symptoms are what most affect their ability to function. The main limitation is that this is one study.
264
women studied
49%
women diagnosed retrospectively confirmed by daily tracking
About the study
- Original title
- The Quality of Life and Daily Living Function of Women Suffering from Premenstrual Syndrome : Focused on Prospective Assessment
- Authors
- Jin-Hui Lee, Kuen-Hyang Kim
- Journal
- Journal of the Korean society for Wellness
- Year
- 2022
- Study design
- Study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.21097/ksw.2022.2.17.1.203
Topics
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