Survey study, 2022
What factors are linked to PMS in teenage girls?
Most teenage girls have some PMS. Backache and breast tenderness are common physical symptoms. Irritability, anxiety, and mood swings are common emotional symptoms. Eating sweets, education level, and family circumstances are linked to PMS, but body weight is not.
What they did
Surveyed 102 adolescent girls in Marrakesh about their PMS symptoms, diet, education level, and family situation.
What they found
52.9% had mild PMS, 25.5% had moderate PMS, and 21.6% had severe PMS. The most common physical symptoms were backache (52.9%) and breast tenderness (36.3%). The most common emotional symptoms were irritability (49%), anxiety (46.1%), and mood swings (45.1%). Eating sweets, education level, and family status showed clear differences between girls with and without PMS. Body weight did not differ.
What it means for you
Nearly all teenage girls experience some PMS. The most bothersome symptoms are backache and irritability. Diet, especially eating sweets, and social circumstances may play a role. The study was in Morocco, so results may not apply to girls in other countries.
52.9%
had mild PMS
25.5%
had moderate PMS
21.6%
had severe PMS
About the study
- Original title
- Factors Associated with Premenstrual Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study of Female Adolescents (Morocco)
- Authors
- Siham Lghoul, Mohamed Loukid, Abdelhafid Benksim et al.
- Journal
- European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences
- Year
- 2022
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 102
- What was tested
- None (observational survey)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.24018/ejmed.2022.4.6.1468
Original abstract
Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a heterogeneous disorder which includes physical and affective symptoms that most females of reproductive age experience during the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. Objective: This study aims to investigate the factors associated with PMS among adolescent schoolgirls and to assess the severity of PMS. Methods: A cross sectional study conducted among 102 adolescents representing Marrakesh city. A structured questionnaire was used. Data analysis was done with SPSS version 26. Results: The rate of mild to severe PMS were 52.9 %, 25.5 % and 21.6 % respectively. The most common physical symptoms were backache (52.9%) and breast tenderness (36.3%), while the most common affective symptoms were irritability (49 %), anxiety (46.1 %) and mood swelling (45.1 %). Significant differences were observed between PMS group and non-PMS group in level of education (p< 0.05), sweets consumption (p< 0.05) and family’s status (p< 0.05). There was no significant association between PMS and BMI. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it seems that the occurrence of PMS is associated with sweet consumption frequency. This study showed also that the most common PMS symptoms were irritability and backache.
Reproduced under CC-BY.
Topics
Related studies
Survey study, 2021
What factors affect premenstrual syndrome in teenage girls?
Survey study, 2024
What factors are associated with PMS and PMDD in adolescent and young women?
Survey study, 2024
Does knowing about Ayurvedic yoga make teenage girls more interested in practicing it for PMS?
Survey study, 2015
How common is PMS in teenage school girls in an urban city in India?
Survey study, 1993
Which menstrual symptoms are most common and how do lifestyle and age affect them?
Survey study, 1964
How common are mood and physical changes around menstruation?