Do medical students understand PMDD and feel prepared to diagnose it?

Introduction: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) characterized by psychological or behavioral symptoms that significantly impact a woman’s quality of life. Due to its recent recognition as a mental health disorder, many healthcare professionals remain unfamiliar with PMDD, complicating its diagnosis and management. Objective: To evaluate the perception of medical students in Curitiba, Paraná, regarding premenstrualdysphoric disorder. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (CAAE: 47635921.4.0000.0093). Data were collected between August 2021 and April 2022 through an online questionnaire administered to 593 medical students from institutions in Curitiba, Paraná. The questionnaire assessed knowledge about PMDD, its teaching during medical training, differentiation from PMS, and the medical approach towards affected women. Results: Of the participants, 83.6% were women and 16.4% were men. A total of 51.9% had studied Gynecology and Obstetrics and/or Psychiatry. Regarding PMDD, 40.8% had never heard of it, and only 28.8% had acquired knowledge about it during their university education. Among those who had studied Gynecology and/or Psychiatry, 86.7% did not feel qualified to diagnose the disorder and were unaware of the differences between PMDD and PMS (52.4%), with a higher frequency of men (68.4%) compared to women (51%, p=0.017). While 55.2% of students correctly defined PMDD, the majority (53.2%) were unclear about its signs and symptoms. Among female students, 82.9% felt that the medical approach was superficial during consultations, while only 10.1% reported a thorough investigation of symptoms.Conclusions: PMDD is a condition that is poorly understood and inadequately addressed in the training of general practitioners. Increasing awareness and education on this subject in universities would better equip professionals to recognize and manage this disorder, ultimately improving women’s quality of life.

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