---
title: Do women with severe premenstrual symptoms use pain relievers more often throughout the month?
description: Women with higher premenstrual distress used over-the-counter painkillers more frequently and in larger amounts. This suggests pain and discomfort may extend
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/generalized-use-of-over-the-counter-analgesics-relationship-to-premenstrual-1997/
---

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- Do women with severe premenstrual symptoms use pain relievers more often throughout the month?

Survey study, 1997

# Do women with severe premenstrual symptoms use pain relievers more often throughout the month?

Women with higher premenstrual distress used over-the-counter painkillers more frequently and in larger amounts. This suggests pain and discomfort may extend beyond just the premenstrual phase, though the study was small.

 Early or limited evidence

53 female undergraduates

## What they did

53 female undergraduates completed the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire and described their typical painkiller use during an average week.

## What they found

In 53 undergraduates, premenstrual distress symptoms were significantly related to both how frequently women used painkillers and how much they used each time.

## What it means for you

Women with worse PMS symptoms tend to use pain relief more throughout the month, suggesting their discomfort is more widespread. The study is small and only included college students.

53

female undergraduates

## About the study

Original title Generalized use of over-the-counter analgesics: relationship to premenstrual symptoms Authors Hart KE, Hill AL Journal Journal of clinical psychology Year 1997 Study design Survey study What was tested None (observational) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-4679(199704)53:3 3.0.co;2-p](https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-4679(199704)53:3 3.0.co;2-p)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)

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