A prospective survey study on premenstrual syndrome in young and middle aged women with an emphasis on its management

Abstract

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is defined as the recurrence of psychological and physical symptoms in the luteal phase, which remit in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Symptoms of which fall in three domains: emotional, physical and behavioural e.g. irritability, anger, headache, fatigue, food cravings etc. The survey study of was conducted among 50 young & 50 middle aged women of S.B.K.S Medical Institute and Research Centre to find the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome with an emphasis on its management. Responses to a feedback questionnaire covering various aspects related PMS were obtained from 50 participants belonging to each group. The participants belonged to different range of literacy. It was found that 42% faced PMS regularly, while 58% occasionally. Of the 100 participants 68% suffered with backache, 64% leg cramps, 62% fatigue, breast tenderness and anger whereas 58% suffered with anxiety and generalized body ache. Of all the sufferers only 34% had received the treatment for PMS. Irrespective of the age PMS is common problem faced by women. With our study we observed that literacy has not mattered in the management of this health problem. Since there are reports stating that the severity of PMS can hamper the daily routine and even lead to suicidal tendency, it is essential that awareness programs need to be conducted to address the importance of managing the issue by pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods. [Int J Res Med Sci 2013; 1(2.000): 69-72

Patterns and Predictors of Premenstrual Symptoms among Females Working in a Psychiatry Hospital

“…Reporting of the backache (70.7%) was relatively high in current study, which is in concordance with previous studies [ 17 , 18 ]. However, Antai et al (2004) reported only around 14% incidence of backache [ 21 ].…”

“…More such reports have come from India and Pakistan in general population and in medical setup [ 16 , 17 ]. A recent Indian study also found similar incidence of backache and somatic symptoms in women in healthcare setting [ 18 ]. However, no earlier study has been conducted in psychiatric health care professionals.…”

“…This is also dependent on the nature of reporting which is more easily experienced and expressed by the women with higher education as compared to women with lower education. However, a study did not find any relation of literacy on PMS symptoms as well as management [ 18 ]. A limitation of our study is inequitable distribution of subjects who were 10th pass and above ( N = 125) compared to those who were not ( N = 25), although this is expected in a hospital setup.…”

Prevalence of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder among Medical Students of Umm Al-Qura University , Makkah Al-Mukaramah , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

“…The reason for the high prevalence rate of PMDD among participants of the current study may be due to stress related learning or can be justifiable by the fact that the vast majority of participants are single. In this study there was no significant difference between students with PMDD and without regarding physical symptoms which is not in agreement with a study by Brahmbhatt et al (21) who reported that, the overall frequency of somatic complaints was more than that of the abnormal mood and behavior.…”

The effect of Valerian root extract on the severity of pre menstrual syndrome symptoms

“… 2 , 3 There is a high incidence of PMS; about 80% of women reported mild premenstrual symptoms, 20%–50% reported moderate symptoms, and about 5% of women had severe symptoms. 4 , 5 Despite the high prevalence of premenstrual syndrome, causes of it have not been clear and several etiologies have been proposed (e.g., hormonal change, neurotransmitters, prostaglandins, diet, drugs, and lifestyle). 6 …”