Interview study, 1986
In women who report PMS, which symptoms actually follow a monthly pattern?
Most women with a history of PMS show typical symptom patterns when tracked daily. Water retention, mood changes, and pain are the most severe symptoms.
What they did
Researchers analyzed daily symptom records from 150 women with a PMS history. Women reported their symptoms using a standardized questionnaire, and researchers used statistical methods to look for patterns across the menstrual cycle.
What they found
Between 60.7% and 85.3% of women showed symptom patterns matching PMS (the percentage varied by symptom type). More than 80% showed the pattern for three or more different symptom clusters, and 32% showed it for all symptoms studied. Water retention, mood problems, and pain were the three most severe symptom clusters.
What it means for you
Women's memories of having PMS usually match what they actually report day-by-day, suggesting that PMS reports are generally reliable. This was observational only, so it doesn't explain what causes these patterns.
150
women studied
80%+
had patterns for 3+ symptom clusters
32%
showed patterns for all symptoms
About the study
- Original title
- Trend analysis of the symptoms of 150 women with a history of the premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Magos AL, Brincat M, Studd JW
- Journal
- American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
- Year
- 1986
- Study design
- Interview study
- Participants
- 150
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0002-9378(86)90808-2