--- title: Do community pharmacists know enough to help women with PMS? | Niyora description: Most pharmacists surveyed had good knowledge and positive attitudes about helping with PMS. They mostly recommended anti-inflammatory medications, showing the url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/community-pharmacists-knowledge-attitude-and-practice-in-providing-self-care-2020/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do community pharmacists know enough to help women with PMS? Guideline, 2020 # Do community pharmacists know enough to help women with PMS? Most pharmacists surveyed had good knowledge and positive attitudes about helping with PMS. They mostly recommended anti-inflammatory medications, showing their recommendations are based on evidence. Early or limited evidence 181 community pharmacists in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ## What they did Researchers surveyed 181 community pharmacists in Malaysia with questionnaires about their knowledge, attitudes, and practice in recommending treatments for PMS. ## What they found 76.8% of pharmacists had medium to good knowledge of PMS. 78.5% had positive attitudes toward their role. Most recommended ibuprofen (79%), mefenamic acid (74.5%), and naproxen (66.9%). Taking courses on managing minor illnesses in women significantly improved their knowledge. ## What it means for you Community pharmacists can be valuable resources for women managing PMS, particularly for over-the-counter medication advice. Most base recommendations on sound evidence. A major limitation is this was a single-country survey, so results may not apply elsewhere. 76.8% with good knowledge of PMS 78.5% with positive attitudes toward helping 79% recommended ibuprofen ## About the study Original title Community Pharmacists' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice in Providing Self-Care Recommendations for the Management of Premenstrual Syndrome Authors Suaidi MT, Wong PK, Mohd Tahir NA et al. Journal Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) Year 2020 Study design Guideline What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3390/medicina56040181](https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina56040181) Original abstract Background and objectives : Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) comprises a variety of physical and emotional symptoms that affect women of reproductive age. The distress caused by PMS often leads to self-medication, and many over-the-counter or non-prescription products are available for relieving PMS symptoms. The choice of a suitable product should be based on advice from a health professional, such as a community pharmacist. Hence, we assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice of Malaysian community pharmacists in providing self-care recommendations for the management of PMS. Materials and Methods : A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from September to November 2018 using a self-administered questionnaire. The respondents were community pharmacists working in Kuala Lumpur and were chosen from a list of Type A license holders in the city. Results : We achieved a response rate of 79% and included 181 questionnaires in the final analysis. Of the 181 respondents, most of them (76.8%; n = 139) had medium to good levels of knowledge of PMS. Likewise, most of the respondents (78.5%; n = 142) had positive attitudes toward their role in PMS management. Having taken courses on managing minor illnesses in women substantially enhanced their levels of knowledge of ( p = 0.002), but not their attitude towards, PMS management. Among the PMS-relieving products, the most commonly recommended products were ibuprofen (79%; n = 143), mefenamic acid (74.5%; n = 135), and naproxen (66.9%; n = 121), which are well known for their anti-inflammatory effect. This suggests that the respondents based their product choice on sound evidence. Conclusions : Community pharmacists can play an important role in the management of PMS. In future work, a larger sample can be assembled to obtain more insight into the readiness of community pharmacists to help women in self-managing PMS and establish a specialized service to this end. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Diuretics and other drugs](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diuretics-other-drugs/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) 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, 2025 How common are PMS and painful periods among female medical students in Saudi Arabia, and what causes them? Survey study, 1990 What do we know about what causes PMS and how common it is? Survey study, 1989 What does research say about what causes PMS and what treatments work? Randomised trial, 1988 What causes PMS and what are the treatment options? Survey study, 2024 What do pharmacy students know about using herbs for PMS? Survey study, 1986 What do general practitioners think about PMS and women who have it? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗