---
title: Does exam stress make PMS symptoms worse? | Niyora
description: Yes. Among medical students preparing for exams, 93.2% with moderate stress had PMS compared to 73.1% with mild stress. However, this was measured at one time
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/a-study-of-impact-of-stress-examinations-on-menstrual-cycle-among-medical-2019/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does exam stress make PMS symptoms worse?

Survey study, 2019

# Does exam stress make PMS symptoms worse?

Yes. Among medical students preparing for exams, 93.2% with moderate stress had PMS compared to 73.1% with mild stress. However, this was measured at one time point during exams, so we cannot prove stress causes PMS.

 Moderate study design

Female medical students in their final year preparing for exams

## What they did

Cross-sectional observational study of female medical students in their final year preparing for exams. Participants completed questionnaires and were assessed using ACOG guidelines, DSM-5 criteria, Perceived Stress Scale, and Premenstrual Symptom Screening Tool.

## What they found

66% had PMS by ACOG guidelines and 6% had PMDD by DSM-5 criteria. Using the screening tool, 88% had some premenstrual symptoms: 58% mild or none, 30% moderate to severe, 5% PMDD. Stress levels: 26% had mild stress, 74% had moderate stress. Among women with mild stress, 73.1% had PMS. Among those with moderate stress, 93.2% had PMS (statistically significant). In women with painful periods (dysmenorrhea), 93.75% had PMS. Notably, not a single participant consulted a healthcare provider about their menstrual symptoms.

## What it means for you

Exam stress is strongly associated with PMS symptoms in medical students. Women with painful periods are especially likely to have PMS. However, this is a snapshot during exam time, not following the same women before and after exams, so we cannot prove stress causes PMS. The high rate of untreated symptoms is concerning.

93.2%

PMS in women with moderate stress

73.1%

PMS in women with mild stress

93.75%

PMS in women with dysmenorrhea

## About the study

Original title A study of impact of stress: examinations on menstrual cycle among medical students Authors Anant Kumar Rathi, Megha Agrawal, Girish Chandra Baniya Journal International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Year 2019 Study design Survey study What was tested None - observational study Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20195542](https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20195542)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

## Related studies

Survey study, 2019

How common are PMS and PMDD in adolescent girls, and how much do they affect daily life?

Survey study, 2016

Does PMS increase the risk of stress fractures in teenage athletes?

Survey study, 2023

What factors make PMS worse in college students?

Survey study, 2023

How common are PMS, PMDD, anxiety, and depression in rural adolescent girls?

Survey study, 2023

How common are PMS and PMDD in high school girls, and what factors increase risk?

Survey study, 2021

Did COVID-19 stress make PMS worse for young women?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗