Survey study, 2022
Are there different types of PMS that might need different treatments?
Yes. PMS can be divided into three patterns: emotional (with depression-like symptoms), physical (with pain), and mixed, each linked to different lifestyle factors.
What they did
165 college women averaging 18.9 years old completed questionnaires about PMS symptoms, nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle. Researchers used statistical analysis to group symptoms into patterns and identify lifestyle factors linked to each type.
What they found
Three PMS patterns emerged: affective type (psychological symptoms like depression), somatic type (physical symptoms like abdominal pain), and mixed type. Higher depression scores were marginally linked to affective type. Physical activity was significantly linked to mixed type (odds ratio 1.13) and somatic type (odds ratio 1.20). Certain nutrients were associated with somatic type.
What it means for you
PMS might be easier to understand and treat if we recognize these three patterns and tailor management to each. Physical activity and certain nutrients may be particularly helpful for physical symptoms. However, this study included only college-aged women in one setting, so results may not apply to all women with PMS. Causation cannot be proven from this design.
165
Women studied
3
PMS patterns identified
1.20
Odds ratio for physical activity and physical symptom PMS type
About the study
- Original title
- Patterns of premenstrual syndrome in collegiate women: A cross-sectional study
- Authors
- Morino S, Morino S, Hirata H et al.
- Journal
- Medicine
- Year
- 2022
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 165
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000030186
Topics
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