--- title: How common are PMS and PMDD in teenagers, and can a new questionnaire measure their impact? description: Very common. 46.6% of teenage girls had moderate-to-severe PMS and 22.5% had PMDD. The questionnaire accurately measured how much their symptoms disrupted the url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/measuring-premenstrual-disorders-in-adolescence-prevalence-of-premenstrual-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How common are PMS and PMDD in teenagers, and can a new questionnaire measure their impact? Survey study, 2026 # How common are PMS and PMDD in teenagers, and can a new questionnaire measure their impact? Very common. 46.6% of teenage girls had moderate-to-severe PMS and 22.5% had PMDD. The questionnaire accurately measured how much their symptoms disrupted their daily lives and school. Moderate study design 521 adolescents aged 14-18 years from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, recruited online ## What they did They asked 521 teenage girls aged 14-18 from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland about premenstrual symptoms online using a questionnaire. Girls with at least mild PMS answered follow-up questions about how their symptoms affected their schooling, work, relationships, and daily functioning. The researchers tested whether the questionnaire accurately measured these impacts. ## What they found 46.6% of participants met criteria for moderate-to-severe PMS and 22.5% met criteria for PMDD. The questionnaire accurately measured overall burden of symptoms and identified separate components for psychological and functional effects. It was strongly associated with symptom severity. ## What it means for you Premenstrual symptoms are extremely common in teenage girls and cause real disruption to school and daily life. Identifying and measuring these symptoms could help get girls the support they need. The main limitations are retrospective self-reporting, potential sampling bias from self-selection, and lack of prospective tracking to confirm diagnoses. 521 Teenage girls studied 46.6% With moderate-to-severe PMS 22.5% With PMDD ## About the study Original title Measuring premenstrual disorders in adolescence: prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder and psychometric validation of the PMS-I-Y in a German-speaking sample Authors Geßner J, Döpke A, Valenti LC et al. Journal BMC women's health Year 2026 Study design Survey study Participants 521 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1186/s12905-026-04752-0](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-026-04752-0) Original abstract Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) are common conditions associated with significant impairment and distress across multiple domains of functioning, including academic and occupational settings. Although menstruation, and with it the potential onset of PMS or PMDD, typically begins in early adolescence, research in adolescent populations remains limited. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the prevalence of PMS and PMDD in German-speaking adolescents, and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the adolescent-adapted version of the Premenstrual Impact Questionnaire (PMS-I-Y). Methods: In this cross-sectional online study, 521 adolescents aged 14-18 years from Germany, Austria and Switzerland were recruited via Instagram. Premenstrual symptoms were assessed using the PMS-Q-Y. Participants meeting criteria for at least mild PMS completed the PMS-I-Y to assess symptom-related impairment. Severity classifications were based on operationalized questionnaire criteria derived from DSM-5 and PSST-A frameworks. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine factorial validity. Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed using correlations with symptom severity and personality traits. Results: A substantial proportion of participants reported clinically relevant premenstrual burden, with 46.6% meeting criteria for moderate-to-severe PMS and 22.5% meeting criteria for PMDD. Factor-analytic results indicated a strong general factor of premenstrual impairment alongside psychological and functional components. Convergent validity was supported by strong associations with symptom severity (r = .65 - .75). Discriminant validity was indicated by negligible correlations with openness, extraversion, and agreeableness (all r ≤ .08), small negative correlations with conscientiousness (r = - .11 to - 0.13), and small to moderate positive correlations with neuroticism (r = .16 - .33). Conclusions: Premenstrual symptoms are highly prevalent and associated with substantial psychological and functional burden in adolescents. The PMS-I-Y, an adolescent-adapted version of an existing instrument, shows promising psychometric properties for assessing premenstrual impairment in this age group. However, findings should be interpreted with caution due to the use of retrospective self-report measures, potential sampling bias resulting in a self-selected sample, and the lack of prospective diagnostic assessment. Accordingly, prevalence estimates reflect retrospective symptom reporting operationalized questionnaire criteria rather than clinical diagnoses. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)[Legal and forensic](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-legal-crime/) 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 Cohort study, 2022 Does body size during childhood affect the risk of premenstrual disorders later? Lab study, 2026 Do core stability exercises help women with PMDD? Review, 2026 How do social factors like stigma and unequal care responsibilities affect premenstrual symptoms? Survey study, 2025 Is the PSST a good screening tool for PMS in Bangladesh? Survey study, 2024 How common are PMS and PMDD in young Turkish women and what factors are linked to them? Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS and PMDD in high school girls, and what factors increase risk? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗