Survey study, 1986
What do general practitioners think about PMS and women who have it?
Most doctors believed PMS has a hormonal cause. About half thought women with PMS are no different from other women, while some thought they were more hypochondriacal, introverted, and intelligent. We don't know if these doctors' beliefs were actually correct.
What they did
Researchers sent postal questionnaires to general practitioners asking about their views on premenstrual symptoms and women who experience them.
What they found
Most doctors favored a hormonal explanation, with more female doctors than male doctors holding this view. The treatments doctors most recommended were progesterone analogues, pyridoxine, and diuretics. About half of doctors thought women with PMS were no different from women in general. Those who saw differences described these women as more likely to be hypochondriacal, introverted, intelligent, married, with small families, and from higher social classes. Doctors' views did not vary by their years of experience, practice location, or sex.
What it means for you
This study shows what UK doctors believed about PMS in 1986. The main limitation is that it doesn't report how many doctors were surveyed, and it only tells us what doctors believed, not what is medically accurate.
about 50%
doctors who saw no difference between women with PMS and others
About the study
- Original title
- Attitudes of general practitioners towards premenstrual symptoms and those who suffer from them
- Authors
- Alexander DA, Taylor RJ, Fordyce ID
- Journal
- The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
- Year
- 1986
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None. This was a survey of attitudes.
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3701685/
Topics
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