Survey study, 2021
At what age do teenage girls first notice premenstrual symptoms?
Most girls first noticed PMS around age 15, about 2 years after their first period. Girls who started their period earlier were slightly less likely to develop PMS later.
What they did
A survey of 1290 high school girls (10th-12th grade) in Sendai, Japan. They answered questions about when they first noticed premenstrual symptoms and when they started their period.
What they found
The median age at first period was 12 years. 49% of girls reported having premenstrual symptoms. The median age when they first noticed these symptoms was 15 years. Girls noticed PMS about 2 years after starting their period on average. Girls who started their period earlier had a lower chance of developing PMS.
What it means for you
Most teenage girls experience PMS within a couple of years of starting their period, typically around mid-teens. The reason that girls who start their period earlier had lower PMS rates might be psychological or social rather than purely hormonal.
1290
girls studied
49%
reported premenstrual symptoms
2 years
median time from first period to noticing PMS
About the study
- Original title
- When and how do adolescent girls in Japan become aware of premenstrual symptoms from menarche? A cross-sectional study among senior high school students
- Authors
- Yoshimi K, Matsumura N, Takeda T
- Journal
- BMJ open
- Year
- 2021
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 1,290
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045215
Topics
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