--- title: Which menstrual symptoms are most common and how do lifestyle and age affect them? description: Bloating, backache, and headache are the most common. Symptoms vary significantly based on education level, whether you live in a city or rural area, age, and url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/association-of-physical-and-emotional-symptoms-with-the-menstrual-cycle-and-life-1993/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Which menstrual symptoms are most common and how do lifestyle and age affect them? Survey study, 1993 # Which menstrual symptoms are most common and how do lifestyle and age affect them? Bloating, backache, and headache are the most common. Symptoms vary significantly based on education level, whether you live in a city or rural area, age, and weight, suggesting both biology and lifestyle matter. Early or limited evidence 502 women not seeking treatment for menstrual symptoms ## What they did Cross-sectional study of 502 women not seeking medical treatment for menstrual symptoms, examining the frequency and severity of physical and emotional symptoms and how they relate to lifestyle factors. ## What they found The most frequent symptoms were abdominal bloating, backache, headache, constipation, low abdominal pain, fatigue, and depression-related symptoms. Some increased during the late luteal phase. Rural women without schooling reported more headache, backache, sadness, insecurity, restlessness, and weakness. Urban women with schooling reported more breast tenderness, abdominal pain, irritability, and depression. Younger women reported increased appetite, lack of concentration, and insecurity. Heavier women reported leg cramps, swollen feet, and lack of coordination. ## What it means for you Menstrual symptoms depend on both biology and lifestyle. Factors like education, location, age, and weight shape which symptoms you experience. The study is cross-sectional, so we can't tell whether lifestyle causes different symptoms or whether different symptoms affect lifestyle choices. 502 women studied ## About the study Original title Association of physical and emotional symptoms with the menstrual cycle and life-style Authors Huerta-Franco MR, Malacara JM Journal The Journal of reproductive medicine Year 1993 Study design Survey study Participants 502 What was tested None Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8331624/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8331624/) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Bloating, breast tenderness and physical symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-physical-symptoms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[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, 1964 How common are mood and physical changes around menstruation? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Survey study, 2024 What factors are associated with PMS and PMDD in adolescent and young women? Survey study, 2019 What are the best ways to manage PMS? Survey study, 2015 How common is PMS in teenage school girls in an urban city in India? Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗