Survey study, 1998
How common is PMS and what treatments do women use?
41% of US women said they had PMS, and an additional 17% experienced PMS symptoms without labeling them as PMS. Of those with symptoms, 42% used medication, mostly over-the-counter drugs; most who tried complementary therapy like exercise found it helpful.
What they did
Researchers conducted a telephone survey of 1,052 US women aged 21 to 64 in 1996 using random digit dialing. They asked about PMS knowledge, premenstrual symptoms, and what remedies or therapies the women used.
What they found
41% of women reported having PMS. Another 17% experienced premenstrual symptoms like pain, bloating, feeling more emotional, weight gain, and food cravings but did not identify as having PMS. Feeling more emotional was the most frequently reported severe symptom. Of women reporting PMS symptoms, 42% took medication; 80% of medication users took over-the-counter drugs. Fewer than 3% of all respondents used prescription medications. Exercise was used most frequently (18%) as a complementary therapy, and acupuncture was the least used. Most women who tried complementary therapies believed they were effective.
What it means for you
Most women recognize their premenstrual symptoms before they formally diagnose themselves with PMS. Most don't take medication for symptoms. Women who try complementary therapies tend to feel they work, though this may reflect expectation as much as actual benefit. The study is limited to the US population in 1996 and relied on self-report.
41%
women who said they had PMS
17%
women with PMS symptoms who didn't call it PMS
42%
of symptomatic women who took medication
About the study
- Original title
- Incidence of premenstrual syndrome and remedy usage: a national probability sample study
- Authors
- Singh BB, Berman BM, Simpson RL et al.
- Journal
- Alternative therapies in health and medicine
- Year
- 1998
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 1,052
- What was tested
- None; survey of treatment use
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9581324/
Topics
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