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.
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
Topics
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