---
title: Is the COPE daily diary a reliable way to track PMS symptoms?
description: Yes. The COPE diary is reliable for tracking PMS symptoms. Symptoms increase consistently during the luteal phase and group into four recognizable patterns.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/measurement-properties-of-the-calendar-of-premenstrual-experience-in-patients-2002/
---

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- Is the COPE daily diary a reliable way to track PMS symptoms?

Lab study, 2002

# Is the COPE daily diary a reliable way to track PMS symptoms?

Yes. The COPE diary is reliable for tracking PMS symptoms. Symptoms increase consistently during the luteal phase and group into four recognizable patterns.

 Moderate study design

215 healthy women diagnosed with PMS

## What they did

215 healthy women diagnosed with PMS filled out daily diaries tracking 22 behavioral and physical symptoms over two consecutive months. Researchers analyzed how consistently symptoms were reported and whether they grouped into patterns.

## What they found

The diary showed strong reliability for mood symptoms and moderate reliability for physical symptoms. Four distinct groups of symptoms emerged: mood symptoms, somatic and cognitive symptoms, appetite-related symptoms, and fluid retention symptoms. These four groups accounted for 64% of the total variation in symptoms reported. When women reported symptoms in consecutive months (during the luteal phase each cycle), three of the four symptom groups increased consistently, and the pattern remained the same from month to month.

## What it means for you

The COPE diary is a trustworthy tool for tracking how PMS symptoms change through your cycle and for understanding that PMS has different symptom clusters. One limitation: symptoms may have increased because women were paying attention to them through daily monitoring, so the actual increases might be partly due to focusing on symptoms rather than real changes.

215

Women in study

22

Symptoms tracked daily

4

Symptom groups identified

## About the study

Original title Measurement properties of the calendar of premenstrual experience in patients with premenstrual syndrome Authors Feuerstein M, Shaw WS Journal The Journal of reproductive medicine Year 2002 Study design Lab study Participants 215 What was tested None—this is validating a measurement tool, not testing a treatment Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12012879/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12012879/)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)

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